THREE-year-old Quinn Gosnell from Harlow has recently been diagnosed with Wilm’s Tumor which is a type of kidney cancer in not one but both of his kidneys.  Quinn absolutely adores Michael Jackson and loves dancing to his music with his siblings.

At the beginning of November his Dad Mike Gosnell was overwhelmed with the support and comfort of friends and family.  Mike wanted something good to come out of all this support and he decided to start fundraising for local Essex Charity The Dream Factory.

Essex- based Charity The Dream Factory, grants dreams to children and young adults between the age of 3 to 25 years, who suffer from life-threatening, life-limiting conditions or have severe disabilities.  To date, they have granted an amazing 582 dreams and currently have 50 that they are fundraising for.  The Dream Factory has been created by Avril Mills BEM, who set up the Charity in 2008, in memory of her son Oliver Mills who died of Leukaemia at the age of nine. 

The fundraising started at the beginning of November with Quinn’s Dad Mike and friends taking part in Movember, but then the support grew and grew. Quinn has recently had another stay in hospital but when he got home, he could not wait to sing along to the ‘Beat the World’ Fansaid song put together by the community in Harlow, which has been launched for the World Cup Football.  Quinn and the family even joined Fansaid on stage at the Christmas Light Switch in in Harlow last weekend.

Quinn dancing at home to the ‘Beat the World’ Fansaid song: https://youtu.be/aSqAyrOyhtE

Quinn is four years old on Sunday 27 November 2022 so to celebrate Quinn’s Birthday the family are holding a party from 1pm at The Cock Inn Pub in Harlow.  It will also be a fundraising event for The Dream Factory, and everyone is invited.  It is going to be a great day and fun for all the family, with:

• A Michael Jackson Tribute with Rory Jackson from Britain’s Got Talent Show
• Bouncy Castle – weather permitting
• Face Painting
• Kids Entertainer – Magician – Disco
• A great raffle with some amazing prizes, including signed memorabilia, sporting events and much, much more!
• Hog Roast – you cannot beat this on a winter’s day – sausages and burgers will also be available
• There are also some great celebrities hoping to attend the event and support Quinn, including:
  • John Conteh MBE – Former WBC Light-Heavyweight Champion of the World and Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist
  • Micky Hazard – Former Professional Footballer for Tottenham Hotspurs and Chelsea, FA Cup and UEFA Cup Winner
  • Harry Collett – British Actor – House of Dragons, Dolittle, Dunkirk, Casualty and many more.
  • And other surprise celebrities
• And much more…..

Mike and the family set themselves a target of raising £12,000 for The Dream Factory and so far, they have raised just over £11,500.  They are hoping the event on Sunday will see them exceeding their original target.

Mike said,

“This has turned our lives upside down, but we are strong and going to fight with Quinn all the way to try and beat this.  Quinn is a very strong, brave little boy, he has a great personality and loves to dance. I am using Movember and now the Charity event next weekend, as a chance to raise money for a very good charity for children not just with Cancer, but other illnesses.

With the uncertain and hard times that we all live in at the moment, its heart-warming to see such kindness and generosity.  Every single person that has donated, supported, and shared our fundraiser I just want to say thank you. Its people like you who will make poorly children’s wishes and dreams come true and that’s something to be proud of.

We have done amazing, but we can’t stop now we must keep pushing, there are never enough wishes and dreams to give so keep it going. No matter how big or small collect those donations for this great cause.”

Avril Mills BEM, Founder and Trustee of The Dream Factory said,

“We are truly grateful to Quinn and his family for their amazing support.  We hope Quinn has the fantastic birthday he deserves on Sunday.  Lots of love from the whole team at The Dream Factory”.

If you would like to support Quinn and his family raising funds for The Dream Factory, come along to the event on Sunday, or you can donate here: https://gofund.me/96c16ce9