Read our own news and newspaper articles about the fundraising activities of William's Fund:
Christmas Fair in Chalfont St Peter - 5 December 2001
Fulmer Christmas Lights - December 2001
Cannons Health Club - 21 November 2001
Christmas Card launch - 17 October 2001
Letter from Dr Mitchell - June 2001
Gerrards Cross Fund Run - 16 May 2001
In
memory of little William
Youngster Josephine Stacey, 10, just could not resist clowning around at an event to raise money for a cancer charity. The fair was also attended by Beaconsfield MP Dominic Grieve on Saturday - held in memory of the late William Dodd - at Chalfont St Peter Community Centre in Gravel Hill. Mr Grieve was joined by his sons James, 7, and Hugo, 6, and drew the raffle before visiting Father Christmas in his Grotto. The fair was expected to raise several thousand pounds to boost the efforts of the hildhood Cancer Research Fund, based at John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford.
Peter Dodd and his wife Johanna established William's Fund to support the Childhood Cancer Research Fund, after their 4 year old son, William, lost his 2½ year battle against spinal cancer last winter. William's Fund has raised in just over 12 months, around £42,000 which has paid for cancer researcher Sophie Hill, to publish her first paper on the work that has been done. The work of William's Fund and the solidarity of the community has attracted the attention of former athlete Roger Black, who has agreed to become patron of the fund.
Saturday's event attracted more than 200 visitors and stalls included nursery equipment, toys, books, videos, crafts, gifts, and refreshments.
When
Eleanor and her partner Chopper planned this year's Christmas lights
display which were switched on last Saturday at a huge party in the
centre of the Fulmer village and the Black Horse pub, they planned to
use again the illuminated train.
Last year little William Dodd aged 4 died of cancer on December 12 but not before he had seen the train lit up which was his dearest wish. Now there is a fundraising campaign for a researcher to look into the cancer that afflicted William.
Eleanor and Kaye at the Black Horse invite everyone with children who goes to look at Fulmer's lights, to pop into the pub and drop a donation into a little wooden wishing well that belonged to William which is standing next to the Christmas tree. Also on sale at the pub are Christmas cards organised by William's grandmother as part of the campaign.
The lights will be on until January 8, so do go and see them and experience Kaye and Brendan's welcome at the Black Horse.
Little
William's keep-fit friends help cancer kids
A luxury health club waived its membership fees for a day to raise funds for a cancer charity set up in memory of a four year old victim of the disease.
Cannons Health Club, Stoke Poges, made the gesture as a tribute to William Dodd who died from an undiagnosed form of cancer last December.
Keep-fit enthusiasts joining the club in Wexham Street on Wednesday saved £250, the normal amount to join Cannons. More than 20 people took up the offer and made a donation to Willliam's Fund, which was founded to raise funds for the Oxford based Childhood Cancer Research Fund. The day raised more than £2000 for the charity, with some of the club's existing members also making donations.
William's mother, Johanna, who belongs to the club, turned up to work out on the state of the art fitness equipment, including rowing machines, treadmills, bench presses and a swimming pool. "It was all such a good atmosphere; everyone was buzzing and I think William was definitely in charge on the day." Johanna said. " A lot of staff and members knew William and it was really nice they remembered him in this way."
Last month Johanna had thousands of Christmas cards made and 500 of them were sold at the event. A Christmas fair is also being held in aid of William's Fund at Chalfont St Peter Community Centre on December 1.
In
memory of a young cancer victim
Mother's card tribute to son
The mother of a 4 year old boy who died from cancer has had 100,000 Christmas cards made in memory of her son. Johanna Dodd hopes to raise £20,000 for a cancer charity through selling the cards which have an artist's impression of her son, William, who died of an undiagnosed form of cancer last December, aged 4.
The cards show William holding a kite and are being sold in packs of 50 and 100 at £15 and £25 a time.
William, who attended Kingscote Pre-Preparatory School in Oval Way, Gerrards Cross, suffered with cancer 2 years before finally losing his life. His mother, Johanna, set up William's Fund, to raise funds for the Childhood Cancer Research Fund (CCRF) based at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, where he was treated.
Volunteers from William's Fund have already raised thousands of pounds for the charity by taking part in assorted sponsored fun runs and street collections in South Bucks.
Earlier this year a member of the fund committee came up with a money spinning idea for a Christmas card. The card was designed by William's grandmother, Elizabeth Cox, who lives in Hampshire, but has only just gone on sale.
"Lots of schools, churches and businesses have already shown an interest in selling the cards and I think we're going to do really well," Johanna said. "One of our main selling points will be Christmas fairs, but we will also be visiting as many people as possible."
A Christmas Fair is also being held in aid of William's Fund at the Chalfont St Peter Community Centre on December 1. All the Christmas cards were printed at cost price by Roger Nixon, the owner of the Print Centre in Chalfont St Peter.
Letter from Dr Mitchell 29th June 2001
Since March 2001 we have employed a full time post-doctoral researcher to work in the laboratory in Oxford, largely as a result of the generosity of the friends and family of William Dodd. We are grateful to Peter and Johanna Dodd for this opportunity to thank all of you who have given so generously to support this research, and to explain a little of what it is we are trying to find out.
First, we need to explain a bit about genetics. Everything about us is encoded in the chemical known as DNA. The DNA in our cells is organised into genes and the genes in turn are organised in chromosomes. The genes provide the blueprint for producing all the proteins that cells need to function. A human cell contains about 100,000 genes, organised into 23 pairs of chromosomes. In any one cell though, only a few genes relevant to that cell's function are turned on or "expressed". Obviously, it is important that the DNA is kept in proper condition while the cells do the work required of them or when they divide, so there are intricate mechanisms within the cell to make sure that any damage is properly repaired and that the chromosomes replicate themselves properly. These mechanisms are also encoded in the genes, so it is rather like having a car that can repair itself if it stops working properly, or can make itself a new one when the old one wears out!
Occasionally, however, when a cell is damaged or divides, the processes do not work properly and the chromosomes can get jumbled up - a process called chromosome translocation. For example, a bit of chromosome 2 can break off and get stuck onto a broken bit of chromosome 13. When this happens part of a gene on one chromosome adjacent to the break can find itself in the company of part of another gene adjacent to the break on the other chromosome. The two genes can then get spliced together to make a completely new gene with all sorts of unusual properties.
Many malignant tumours have within their cells recognisable and specific rearrangements of their chromosomes, and often it is possible to demonstrate that the affected genes have combined to make either a new protein or one that expressed when it shouldn't be. We are particularly interested in a translocation between chromosomes 2 and 13 seen in a particular type of tumour called a rhabdomyosarcoma, which is a tumour of muscle. We think that the translocation results in one of the involved genes being turned on in a cell type where it ought to be turned off. We are trying to understand how it is that such a thing can happen, in the hope that we might in due course discover a way of turning it off again. Such a discovery might in due course provide us with a completely new way of treating this type of tumour, and might give us hints for dealing with other types of tumours.
So far, we have carried out a number of preliminary experiments to get all the methods established and working smoothly. The techniques we use are quite difficult to master and are prone to not working - usually for no very obvious or good reason! Over the next couple of months we will move on to a definitive set of experiments which we hope will confirm our preliminary results. We can then start to pick apart the precise mechanisms which normally control the two affected genes so that we can pinpoint what, exactly, has gone wrong. Once we reach this stage we should have enough information about this topic to have a reasonable chance of a successful application to a major charity such as the Cancer Research Campaign, so that we have longer term funding to continue this work.
Christopher Mitchell PhD FRCP, Consultant Paediatric Oncologist (formerly
William's consultant)
Sophie Hill PhD, Post-postdoctoral Research Assistant
The Oxford Radcliffe Hospital
A National Health Service Trust
The Childhood Cancer Research Fund is part of the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Charitable Fund.
Cancer
victim remembered in run - Moving Tribute to William
The first ever Buckinghamshire Advertiser Gerrards Cross Fun Run became an especially emotional day for mum Johanna Dodd. For she led a 10 strong team running in memory of her 4 year old son William, who died from cancer in December. The William's Wobblers team, clad in special memorial T shirts, ran to aise funds for the Childhood Cancer Research Fund (CCRF) based at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, where he was treated. Former nurse, Mrs Dodd, was joined by close friends and supporters who were armed with collecting buckets adorned with pictures of young William. Everyone completed the 5km run on Sunday, raising more than £1000.
William, who attended Kingscote Pre-Preparatory School in Oval Way, Gerrards Cross, passed away after suffering from an undiagnosed form of cancer which he had contracted 2 years previously.
Mrs Dodd only decided to do the fun run at the last minute, after hearing about the event from friends but despite the short notice, she managed to assemble a dedicated team of fundraising runners. She said: "The fun run was a very special and emotional day for me and while we obviously miss William terribly we have to keep going and do everything we can for children affected by cancer. With the CCRF we hope to try and prevent cancer in the early years so that teenagers don't suffer in the first place."
One of the youngster's teachers, Lisa Ryan, added: "I'm pleased to have run for William and the fund and I'm sure we will be able to make a real difference in helping youngsters with cancer. It has been very positive to take part in a fun run in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust which obviously shares similar aims to the CCRF."
Mrs Dodd who has 2 other children, Edward, 6 and Lucinda, 2, is determined to carry on fundraising. Her husband, Peter, will be taking part in a London to Oxford bike ride on June 10 to help raise more money. Mrs Dodd added: "This was the first real fundraising event we have taken part in, in memory of William, and we are determined to keep on going. We will be planning many more the future. William was a brave little soldier and it was very important to me to take part in the fun run in his memory."
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