The parents of a man shot in Afghanistan didn't know if he was still alive after receiving a "dreaded knock at the door."
Tony Williams, from Knowsley, was working as an army nurse when he was shot during a firefight with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The 38-year-old was left fighting for his life and told he would never walk again. But he is now determined to walk further than he has in 12 years by hiking 12 miles in memory of his late dad Stephen Williams.
READ MORE: Everything police know about 'toxic' man who murdered Olivia Pratt-Korbel
Tony will retrace the footsteps his late dad made whilst waiting to hear if his son had survived back in 2010 to raise money for Help for Heroes. Tony, 38, said: “My parents received the dreaded knock at the door and were told that two soldiers had been killed and one was in a critical condition - they couldn’t identify which one of those three soldiers I was.
"In shock, my dad needed to clear his head so left the house in Knowsley and, in his words ‘walked aimlessly searching for answers in the night sky’, up the East Lancashire Road until he got to the corner of a cemetery. The reality that it could be me buried there was enough for him to walk back home and find comfort in his own family.”
Tony, and two other casualties, had been taken by helicopter to the emergency department at Camp Bastion where he was met by his nursing mentor and friend, Lieutenant Colonel Duane ‘Fletch’ Fletcher. He said: “My main focus was on two other lads who had been hit.
"I wanted them to be treated first. But Fletch said, 'No, let us deal with them and you’. I looked around and saw friends and colleagues. It was surreal.”
Tony was flown back to the UK and was in a coma for six days. He needed 52 units of blood and 36 hours of surgery. “Several times I was told ‘Sit down, you’re not going to walk, accept reality’. It caused a huge strain on my mental health.”
“I was strongly thinking about getting my leg amputated, just to increase mobility. It seemed there was nothing available to help me be active with the girls.
“That prompted me to contact Help for Heroes. I won't lie, I was desperate.” The life-changing support he received included a surprise reunion with Fletch, now a member of Help for Heroes’ Veterans Clinical Services team who support veterans and their families on their physical recovery journey.
Tony said: "It was emotional hearing Fletch's voice again. He said, ‘You're a long way off getting your leg amputated. We can get you a leg brace and support you to achieve what you want’.
“I cried for joy. Finally, I was going to get the help I needed from somebody who understood me. Thanks to the new brace, and the physio and support that Fletch organised, I’m pain free, said Tony, who is dad to Holly, eight, Ellena, seven, and Sophie, seven. Tony met his partner Maria in 2019 and they got engaged at Christmas.
“Being able to walk Maria backdown the aisle is going to be a special moment for us. It's something I thought I was going to be denied.
“I’ve now got my own business. I’m a parent governor of two schools. I feel like a productive member of society again; rather than just an injured veteran, stuck on my couch, in pain, feeling unemployable.”
Setting off from Knowsley village at 9am on Saturday, Tony and his supporters will head along the A580 to the Carr Mill pub in St Helens and then turn back, with the aim of raising more than £1,000.
Tony, who is now an Ambassador for Help for Heroes, said: “When my dad got diagnosed with brain cancer, he talked about the dreadful night they got that knock at the door in loads of detail and we calculated the route he walked. He died earlier this year aged 61, he would be turning 62 on September 2.
"My father was a retired Warrant Officer, and a keen supporter of Help for Heroes for all they have done for me, so we wanted to turn the challenge into a fundraising memory walk in his honour. I will be walking a distance I never thought would be possible.”
He added: “The challenge is also in recognition of all the families who have suffered the same traumatic experience that my dad and my family went through.”
To donate to Tony’s Remembrance Walk visit his Just Giving page.
READ NEXT:
Jane McDonald steps back from limelight after losing fiancé
Everything police know about 'toxic' man who murdered Olivia Pratt-Korbel
First picture of murder suspect as he appears in court
Dad says McDonald's pigeon spike was 'inches away' from hitting baby son
