A roofer-turned-globetrotting-grandfather who captivated TikTok with tales of his travels is now facing a devastating health battle that has left him unable to walk.
Terry Hill, 59, nicknamed “Donny Knight” by his nearly 100,000 followers, traded his roofing tools for a smartphone two years ago by sharing his unique perspective on the world.
His TikTok journey began with a heartwarming video surprising his daughter and grandchildren in Crete, which quickly went viral.
Since then, his lightly edited videos, including crowd-surfing off a bus shelter in a knight’s costume, have garnered more than 70 million views and are loved by fans and TikTok stars alike.
However, in 2024, Terry began to notice he was losing feeling in his feet, a condition possibly linked to smoking and caused by blocked arteries in his groin.
Doctors intervened by implanting seven stents to open the arteries, offering a glimmer of hope for his continued travels. However, in January, while playing in the snow with his son, he lost all feeling in his feet again and was taken to Doncaster Royal Infirmary.
Although the operation cleared the arteries, side-effects have left Terry unable to walk, and he has left the house just four times since January.
Having lost all his income from both roofing and TikTok, Terry decided to start a GoFundMe page to help him afford a mobility scooter, but the page has fallen well short of the £5,000 he needs.
“I’ve gone from having the time of my life to not being able to pay my bills or leave the house,” Terry said.
“I can’t face my followers because I can’t give them what they want. I physically can’t do it. It’s devastating and there’s nothing I can do.”
Terry owned a successful roofing business for more than 30 years. The company brought in a steady income and gave him time to travel, which has always been his greatest passion.
He would take five or six holidays to Europe every year, and in December 2023, his daughter told him she was going to Crete with her boyfriend and two children.
“I thought, there’s no way you’re going without me,” Terry said, so he arrived at the hotel the day before to surprise her.
When she arrived, Terry filmed the moment and put it on TikTok, and within a week, he went from 10 followers to 10,000.
In January last year, Terry realised that he could combine his new TikTok account with his love of travelling, so he booked a trip to Thailand – a dream destination.
He even received some income from his new hobby, saying: “It wasn’t life-changing, but who’d have thought you could get money from social media?”
It was on this trip in April that Terry first noticed that his legs were beginning to hurt, but he ignored the pain and, over the next few month,s travelled to Egypt, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Poland, and returned to Thailand twice.
He continued working as a roofer, but his income from TikTok was rising, and Terry’s most popular video earned him nearly £5,000. He said: “I thought at this rate I won’t have to do roofing again!”
In June 2024, Terry was told the arteries in his groin were blocked, probably caused by smoking. Terry quit and had seven stents put into his arteries to open them, bringing feeling back to his legs.
After that, he continued travelling, and by January, he had nearly 100,000 followers.
“I had the time of my life,” he said. “It was like I were famous. I will always remember it and I’ll be telling my kids and grandkids about it for the rest of my days.”
However, Terry admits he did too much given the condition of his legs.
In January, he went out to play with his 12-year-old son in the snow in Doncaster when he realised he could not feel his feet, even when touching a hot radiator.
The next day he went to the doctor and three weeks later he underwent aorto-bifemoral bypass surgery at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, which replaced his blocked arteries with artificial tubes.
“If I hadn’t had it, I would have died,” Terry said.
Although he can feel his feet again, side effects mean he is unable to walk more than five metres before his legs give way. He also has bowel issues which make going outside potentially difficult.
Since January, he has left the house just four times.
He said: “For someone who loves travelling, it’s heartbreaking. I hate it, I feel so down. I’ve never struggled with mental health issues, but I can now understand why people do.”
Unable to work as a roofer, and with no income from TikTok, he was left with an unpaid mortgage and bills.
He has claimed universal credit and has applied for disability benefits but these are not enough to cover his costs.
It was a difficult decision for Terry, but with no other option, he set up a GoFundMe aiming to raise £5,000 for a mobility scooter.
He received a few donations in the first week, including from fellow TikTok stars, but despite having around 100,000 followers, the page stalled at £800.
“I’m so grateful to everyone who has donated, it really means a lot,” Terry said. “But it’s devastating that I don’t have enough. I’m gutted. I feel so helpless as there’s nothing I can do.
“I can’t face my followers. I can’t give them the travel content they want. I physically can’t do it. I don’t know what will happen next.”
To find out more about Terry, visit his GoFundMe or find him on TikTok at donny_knight.
