Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are supporting Dawson Gosling’s fundraiser.
A WOKINGHAM family has raised £14,000 to pay for their son’s life-changing surgery — and they have even gathered some celebrity support.
Since January, Nathalie and Paul Gosling have been trying to raise £60,000 to fund a vital operation and aftercare for their two-year-old son, Dawson, who has a rare form of cerebral palsy.
The condition affects movement in his legs, including his ability to walk.
Earlier this year, the Gosling family launched a fundraiser with children’s charity Tree of Hope to raise money for spinal surgery to allow Dawson to walk independently.
Now, fighting duo Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have pledged their support with a signed portrait, which the family will put to a raffle to raise vital funds.
After three months of campaigning for Dawon’s surgery, Mrs Gosling said she is “amazed” at how much money has been donated so far.
“Given that we only started a few months ago, I’m blown away that people we don’t know would donate so much,” she said.
The Goslings have seen a whole host of lockdown fundraisers take place across Wokingham borough to support the family’s cause — including a range of charity raffles organised by the family.
Since January, Mrs Gosling has been working closely with local artist Richard Williams, of Richard Williams Creations, on a signed portrait of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury who are due to fight later this year.
The painting will be raffled in a few weeks time.
“Last weekend, Dawson revealed the painting and now we’re just waiting for it to be signed,” Mrs Gosling said. “We have also raffled a holiday and have raised just over £500, and the winner of that will be announced this Saturday.
“Next week, we’re raffling a football shirt signed by Reading Football Club, too.”
Earlier this month, Sultan Balti Palace, in Market Place, also donated nearly £1,500 to Dawson and his mum following a two-day event.
The restaurant, which has been operating on a takeaway-only basis during lockdown, has been collecting £1 from every order since February to donate to Dawson.
It also created its very own ‘Dawson Dish’ — a chicken biryani — which it has been selling to raise further funds for the cause.
Raja Majid, owner of Sultan Balti Palace, said he plans to hold more charity events in the future, too.
“I couldn’t believe how much money Sultan Balti raised in such a short amount of time,” Mrs Gosling said. “Dawson has had a lot of fun playing around with the big cheque Mr Majid gave us.
“It was lovely to meet everybody at the restaurant who has been supporting us, and Dawson loves the dish.”
And people across the borough have been taking on individual fundraisers too, including sponsored cycles, burpee challenges, and runs.
Now, Mrs Gosling hopes the family can raise enough money in time for Dawson to have the surgery.
According to the family, the spinal surgery is most suitable for children aged two- and three-years-old, meaning Dawson, who turns three in August, would need to have it sooner rather than later.
“They sometimes don’t offer this surgery to children until they are school age because the child needs to understand the recovery programme,” Mrs Gosling explained. “But Dawson’s consultant thinks he has the understanding.
“I desperately hope it can be done by summer next year.”
And she is worried that if Dawson does not have the operation before he starts school, he might not make a full recovery.
“If he has the surgery when he’s older, he might still have to walk with an aid,” Mrs Gosling added. “The recovery programme could take longer, and he might also need muscle and tendon surgeries.
“So, we need to make sure we have the money for the surgery there, so we can pay for it as soon as Dawson can have it.”
Looking to the future, Mrs Gosling said she plans to hold “even bigger and better” fundraising events as covid regulations continue to lift, including disco nights and auctions.
“At the moment, everything is done on a very small scale,” she said. “That’s why it’s so lovely that people are doing individual challenges.
“Dawson is desperate to be able to run around and kick a ball with his brothers, so I hope we can raise the money quickly.
“To see him walk unaided would be wonderful.”
To find out more about the Gosling family’s fundraiser, visit www.treeofhope.org.uk/dawsoncandoit or search for ‘Dawson Can Do It’ on Facebook.
Enter the raffle to win the signed portrait here: www.raffall.com/212175/enter-raffle-to-win-dawson-can-do-it-portrait-comp-hosted-by-richard-williams
Anybody interested in doing a sponsored fundraiser for Dawson should contact Mrs Gosling via the ‘Dawson Can Do It’ Facebook page.
