The mum of a brave Bury teen who lost his battle with a terminal illness last year has launched a Mother’s Day appeal as she prepares her first year without him.
Josh Wilson – known to the Manchester community as SuperJosh – died in November aged just 14 after years of suffering from a life-threatening brain tumour.
As part of the campaign, the youngster’s mum, Dawn Fidler, is urging people to imagine being the parent of a child with a brain tumour and make a donation to the Joshua Wilson Brain Tumour Charity set up in his name.
Dawn said: “At first, I think there was a misconception that the charity was all about raising money for Josh. Josh wanted to set up the charity so that he could help others.
“When people asked for their donations to be spent on Josh, we had to explain that although the charity carries Josh’s name, it was set up to support other families like us who need help.
“In our first 18 months as a registered charity, we have been able to provide financial support for 41 families and entertainment packs containing Xboxes, TVs, and iPads to six hospitals.”
Sunday smiles xxx ❤️ #SuperJosh #wemissyousomuch pic.twitter.com/B9A6rlkPOG
— #SuperJosh (@JourneyJoshuas) March 8, 2015
Josh was rushed to hospital ten years ago when doctors found a life threatening brain tumour which needed to be operated on.
After the surgery the youngster was left in a coma for six weeks and due to the location of the brain stem, when he came round he was partially blind and disabled, leaving him having to battle epilepsy, scoliosis and joint problems.
In 2013, the teen’s tumour was classed as ‘frozen at present’, but sadly his spine was so severely deformed it was affecting his lungs and he was unable to have the specific medicine and surgery he needed.
Despite his disabilities, Josh’s mind was still fully functioning and he remained a ‘typical cheeky 14-year-old’, who loved Manchester United and Salford Red Devils, and continued to dedicate his time to raising cash for his charity.
One mother who has received help from the charity with her little girl Lily says having help from Josh’s charity is like ‘having someone holding your hand’ through the difficult times.
We miss you so much everyday ❤️ x️xx #BrainTumorThursday pic.twitter.com/rScFfeEeoP
— #SuperJosh (@JourneyJoshuas) February 26, 2015
Carol Prior said: “You cannot imagine what it is like being told your child has a brain tumour. Even though you can hear the words, you want it all to be a bad dream.
“The reality is like the carpet being pulled from underneath you. In our case, not only did we have to understand and compute the situation ourselves, we also had to explain it to Lily and our other children.
“Having the support of the Joshua Wilson Brain Tumour Charity has been like having someone holding your hand.
“They have helped us with a hospital grant, they have been there when we needed advice and just a friendly voice, and they have helped us find a way to move forwards as a family.
“If you are able, please do make a donation this Mother’s Day so that the charity can be there for more mums like me.”
The charity, which operates mainly through social media, boasts more than 40,000 Twitter followers and is committed to helping families with terminally ill children by providing help, support and financial solutions.
Dawn added: “It is crucial to Josh’s legacy that we are able to continue to do so, despite him no longer being here himself.”
Image courtesy of JourneyJoshuas, with thanks
