Globetrotting TikTok grandad ‘helpless’ and ‘devastated’ after debilitating condition leaves him bedbound
A globetrotting grandad who went from working as a roofer to earning around 100,000 followers on TikTok said he is unable to face his audience after a debilitating condition left him unable to walk.
Terry Hill, 59, from Doncaster, was a roofer for more than 30 years, but his first love has always been travelling.
Nicknamed “Donny Knight” after crowd surfing off a bus shelter wearing a knight’s costume in his home city, Terry’s lightly edited videos document his unique take on the world and are loved by fans and TikTok stars alike.
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.
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 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.
“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.
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 months travelled to Egypt, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Poland, and returned to Thailand twice.
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.
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.
“If I hadn’t had it, I would have died,” Terry said.
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.”
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.
“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.
To find out more about Terry’s GoFundMe page, visit www.gofundme.com/f/famous-tiktoker-donny-knight-needs-your-help-to-get-mobile/donations or you can find him on TikTok at www.tiktok.com/@donny_knight.