More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A Kent craftsman, who lost the use of his arm after a freak hospital accident, has defied life-threatening illnesses and retrained to continue creating masterpieces.
Six years ago Tony Bellingham, originally from Dartford, was providing jewels to royal families and presidents around the world, before his life changed forever.
KMTV cover the remarkable story of Tony Bellingham
The hospital, which agreed a settlement with Tony out of court, misdiagnosed a cardiac arrest before accidentally rupturing his radial nerve and artery in his right arm.
“From somebody with so much manual dexterity, someone who's been a sculptor and a goldsmith for 45 years, to suddenly lose all of that, it just seemed like life was over,” he said.
By the time doctors spotted their mistake, some 10 hours later, surgeons battled to save his arm.
Although they did, the 62-year-old was left with compartment syndrome and Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and no use of his right hand.
CRPS is the worst pain known to man and ranks higher on the McGill pain scale than amputation and childbirth.
“Right now as we’re standing here talking, it feels like I’m being scolded by a kettle, and it’s never-ending,” he explained.
“If I over-wash my hands, even with water, I get blisters equivalent to third degree burns.”
Tony, originally from Dartford and now living in Bromley, is one of just a handful of master craftsmen in the UK and his work has been compared to that of Carl Fabergé.
“I had to learn all of the small, personal things again. Brushing my teeth, putting on socks and you suddenly find yourself dumping all of your lace-up shoes.
“It changes your life completely and I had to work every day non-stop to get my skill back.
“After three years I was able to use tools for a short amount of time. I love what I do so much and I couldn’t imagine life without it.”
Now, with the help of his son Matthew, they’re about to re-launch their new jewellery business, aptly named Bellingham & Bellingham.
His first objet d’art since retraining is a golden falcon finished with diamonds and sapphires – that ingeniously doubles up as a Bluetooth speaker with the blue silk as the grills.
His masterpiece and point-prover to himself and the rest of the world is about to be sold for £250,000.
“To fight back and get to the place where you were is food for the soul and has been great for healing.”
You can see more of Tony’s work at BellinghamBellingham.com
