A WOKINGHAM family has issued a call for help in a bid to change their young son’s life.
Paul and Nathalie Gosling are raising money to pay for life-changing surgery for their two-year-old son Dawson, who is suffering from an incurable condition.
“Dawson was born prematurely,” Mrs Gosling explained. “Everything seemed fine until he was about a year old and we noticed that he wasn’t meeting basic milestones and couldn’t sit up on his own.”
After getting him checked over, Dawson was diagnosed with dystonic spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. The condition affects movement in his legs, including his ability to walk.
“He’s got full understanding which is brilliant, but that means he wants to run around and he can’t understand why he can’t,” his mum explained. “We’re really lucky that it doesn’t affect the top half of his body.”
Now, the Gosling family have launched a fundraising campaign with the help of children’s charity Tree of Hope to raise money for life-changing spinal surgery.
“It would allow him to walk independently,” Mrs Gosling explained.
While the procedure is currently free on the NHS, she said it periodically gets taken off the list and has to be carried out privately.
This month, Dawson is due to be put on the waiting list but there’s no telling whether the surgery will be available, or when he can be booked in.
“As part of the recovery programme, he will also need to have at least one year’s worth of daily physiotherapy too,” Mrs Gosling said.
“The NHS will supply us with one physio session a week, so we will have to fund the rest through private therapies.”
And it’s a race against time.
Mrs Gosling said the surgery is only suitable for children aged two- and three-years-old, meaning Dawson needs to have it sooner rather than later or risks needing further operations in the future.
“We’re now trying to raise funds to cover his physio and his surgery in case they both have to be done privately, so we need to raise around £60,000,” she explained.
If the family meets its target and the surgery is available on the NHS, leftover donations will fund items needed to strengthen his muscles, including a new walking frame.
The Gosling family is currently arranging a sponsored raffle and has received donations from local artist Richard Williams, of Richard Williams Creations, and Wokingham’s Blueberry Toys.
Mr Williams is busy producing a piece of artwork to be a prize at the raffle, which he hopes will get some celebrity attention.
“Nathalie messaged me about raising awareness for the raffle, and I immediately thought we could go one step further,” he said.
“I’m painting a portrait of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, who are fighting at some point this year, with the hope that we can get it signed by them both.”
He hopes his contribution will help raise a big donation for the family’s cause.
And Mrs Gosling said Blueberry Toys has also donated an “incredible” amount of toys to the raffle.
“We were very happy to support a fellow local resident,” Sally Brown from Blueberry Toys added. “As parents ourselves, we can fully empathise and understand her wanting the best for her son.
“It’s a very worthy cause and Blueberry Toys wish Nathalie and Dawson the best for the future.”
The family is also planning a sponsored virtual run.
In less than 48 hours after launching the fundraiser online, Mrs Gosling raised more than £2,000, and said she can’t believe the level of support Dawson has received already.
“I’m so overwhelmed by how many people are happy to help us,” she said.
“We’ve always been really lucky that we’ve been able to give our children everything they need, and now it feels awful to not be able to do that for him.
“The support has been incredible and to see people step up and help is just amazing.”
Looking to the future, Mrs Gosling said if the surgery can go ahead, it would have a massive impact on her family’s lives.
“Dawson’s two big brothers, Reuben and Aulay, are desperate for the day when he can run around and kick a ball with them,” she said.
“It’s really heartbreaking watching him, but Dawson is a very happy little chap.
“He doesn’t know any different, but to be able to play in the garden and walk unaided would be wonderful.”
The family has currently raised more than £3,200 for Dawson’s surgery.To find out more, visit: www.treeofhope.org.uk/dawsoncandoit
