From first clinic appointment to the current phone calls from the hospital since discharge 3 days ago, we have received nothing but amazing service from all the staff that we encountered. We cannot thank Mr Kokkinakis and the ortho staff on Savannah Ward enough for how well they treated my son, kept us fully informed and involved in my son's care and made what was a nervous time for us more than okay. Special thanks also go to SSN Beth who was my son's nurse on the day and day after of his op and made everything better than we could have hoped for.

Once his healing has finished, my son should finally be pain free and be able to fully participate in all the sports that he loves. Thank you.

Mr Kokkinakis was very open and realistic about both the benefits and pressures of his job. The opportunity to speak to other staff members meant I was able to hear varied opinions on the NHS and maximise the opportunities available from the placement.

The guidance and teaching I received was both informative and appropriate given my limited medical knowledge, something which is quite unique for a work experience placement! Given the range of cases I observed, Mr Kokkinakis took time to explain the rational behind his thoughts and decisions, keeping me informed and interested at every level throughout each day.

Shadowing Mr Kokkinakis at such a pivotal time in my own education, and observing how he conducts himself at work, has inspired me to continue my studies and application for medical school, in the hope that in the future I will be as passionate and committed about my career as he is.

The opportunity was incredibly valuable, and there is nothing even remotely negative I could say about the experience!

She said: 'It has been one amazing end to the day. 'Tony was excited enough when he saw the official online total break £1million and then came the congratulatory video from Captain Tom and his family. 'He absolutely loved it!

What a lucky boy Tony is to receive such a wonderful message from the hero who inspired his walk. 'Whenever you ask him why he is walking he says 'Capt Tom made me do it!' 'As we watched the video I was crying and he kept asking me 'Why are you crying, it's not sad.'

'I just can't help it. 'It's so emotional. 'I know I keep saying it but we are truly overwhelmed by people's generosity and good wishes.'

When Tony saw Captain Tom walking laps with his zimmer frame he said: 'He's like me. 'I can do that!'

His consultant orthopaedic surgeon Michail Kokkinakis also shared his pride for Tony's hard work in a video posted to the Evelina Twitter account.

He said: 'Tony, congratulations for achieving your 10km target. What an amazing achievement.

'Look how far you have come and how much money you have raised for our institution.

'You positiveness and self-discipline in life is an example for us all and that keeps us going.

'Never give up on your dreams. Thank you very much for all your efforts you have done.'

Tony had to have both legs surgically removed after suffering horrific abuse from his birth parents when he was just 41 days old.

He spent lockdown learning how to walk with his crutches and decided to take on 10km to raise money for the NHS.

The determined five-year-old finished his walk five days early and raised £1.2million surpassing his goal of £500.

His initial target of 500 pounds had now passed an “absolutely incredible” 1 million, his mum said.

She said Tony’s was now fast and confident on his new legs. “(It) is incredible to think just three and half weeks ago he could barely take a few steps.”

Deciding on his next challenge was a “hard question” Tony said, but longer term he is set on becoming a policeman. “I want to handcuff bad people and robbers,” he said.

But the most amazing part of my orthopaedic journey was that I had the first lot of surgery in 2015, then in 2016 I had two more operations and a year later I became the Pan Disability European Judo ChampiIsabelle participating in a charity walkon 2017… Yes, just a year after multi-level surgery, and I retained my title in 2018. Unfortunately, this year I came away with silver, but next year I will go back to Holland and get Gold again. I have also completed the Westminster Mile in a wheelchair and using a walking frame six times, the Hastings Half Marathon three times, plus many other races. I’ve also just done the Super Tri in Windsor, all for charity. Something else I love doing is the talks to the student teachers at the University of Canada about how they should work with children with disabilities and see us for our ability, not our disability.

For the last few years, I have helped with the future surgeons training session with Mr Kokkinakis and Mr Gough. This is a fun afternoon where I get to be the patient, but one with all the answers, and the future surgeons are the nervous ones. But what’s really good is how Mr Gough and Mr Kokkinakis insist that they speak to me and not my mum. After all, I’m not just a girl in a wheelchair I can talk, I know my condition and I know everything about what it’s like to have cerebral palsy. I really hope they leave the session having learnt just one thing …. talk to the children not their parents, cos us kids know everything!

So, you see I’m not just the girl in a wheelchair, I’m not just the disabled child, the one with cerebral palsy.

I am me, Isabelle Everest, Pan Disability European Judo Champion... one day soon to be Dr Isabelle Everest Paediatric Specialist.

Isabelle will be speaking at our Inspiring Youth Conference on Monday 21 October. Come along to hear her and others talking about a range of exciting topics related to health and emotional well-being.

Jovel says: “When I hurt my hip, the timing couldn’t have been worse. I had just been spotted by a talent scout and offered a trial with a premier league club, and I was really worried this would ruin my chances. But Evelina London got me back on the pitch in record time. I had my operation in September and by January I was back training and free from pain.

“Mr Kokkinakis wrote a letter for me and my Dad to send to the club to explain how long it would probably take before I was fit enough to make the trial. Luckily they are happy to wait!”

Keyhole surgery is already a well-established procedure for adults, and is used to remove or repair damaged cartilage, torn ligaments and inflamed tissue around joints. Its use in children is developing rapidly in the UK, thanks to better understanding of children’s joint disorders, recent advances in adult keyhole surgery and specialist training of children’s orthopaedic surgeons.

The benefits to children are the same as in adults: the procedure is less invasive than traditional surgery, patients experience less pain and recovery is much faster.

Mr Michail Kokkinakis explains: “Thanks to Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity, we now have our own dedicated hip and knee arthroscopy equipment. Children can be referred, assessed and treated in a dedicated environment with patients their own age, and looked after by experienced clinicians who specialise in treating children.

“It has already begun to transform the way we manage cases of hip and knee injuries in children and adolescents to meet their unique needs. Children are still growing so it is vital to avoid problems with their growth in future.

“In the last year the number of referrals has trebled and 31 patients had keyhole hip or knee surgery at Evelina London in 2017 compared with only eight patients in 2016. Thanks to the new service, we are able to treat an increasing number of young patients to meet a growing demand for it.”

Keen tennis player Remel Alvares-Matthews, aged 17, had keyhole surgery for an injured knee at Evelina London last May, and was back playing tournaments after only a few short months. Remel, from Streatham in south-west London, says: “The whole experience was very easy, and the team took the time to explain everything that was happening, and to teach me how to use my crutches and practise knee exercises after I had had the operation. I recovered very quickly too. After a couple of months, I was able to ease back into tennis. It really does feel as if everything is back to normal now.”

This two day paediatric orthopaedic revision course is designed for candidates taking the FRCS (Orth) examination, section 2 (vivas and clinicals) and is entirely hands-on/interactive.

The first day consists of vivas and spotter sessions involving spot diagnoses made on clinical images and radiographs; the second day is devoted to taking histories and examining paediatric patients. There are plenty of opportunities to test your paediatric orthopaedic knowledge, practise your exam technique, and clarify issues with an experienced faculty.

REGISTRATION

PLEASE ENSURE YOU HAVE PASSED PART 1 OF THE EXAM BEFORE APPLYING FOR THIS COURSE.

The quickest way to register and confirm your place is to book online by credit or debit card. In order for you to register online you will need to become a member of ORUK, please follow this link: link.oruk.org/register.asp

We accept cheques, please ensure you attach an accompanying registration form. Cheques are to be made payable to “Orthopaedic Research UK” and posted to the address detailed on the registration form.

You can also pay by direct bank transfer, our transfer details are listed on the registration form. Please ensure you also complete and return a registration form if you are paying by direct bank transfer.

Registration form

Registration fee: £350

Please contact Ruth Threadgold via email: r.threadgold@oruk.org or telephone: +44 (0)20 7307 3013 if you have any further queries.

REGISTRATION

Please ensure you have passed part 1 of the exam before applying for this course.

The quickest way to register and confirm your place is to book online by credit or debit card. In order for you to register online you will need to become a member of ORUK, please follow this link: link.oruk.org/register.asp

We accept cheques, please ensure you attach an accompanying registration form. Cheques are to be made payable to “Orthopaedic Research UK” and posted to the address detailed on the registration form.

You can also pay by direct bank transfer, our transfer details are listed on the registration form. Please ensure you also complete and return a registration form if you are paying by direct bank transfer.

Registration form / Programme

Registration fee: £330

Please contact Ruth Threadgold via email: r.threadgold@oruk.org or telephone: +44 (0)20 7307 3013 if you have any further queries.