Edward’s first symptoms came in March 2007, six months after his marriage to Victoria and weeks after the confirmation that he was to be a father. While playing football with friends, Edward was seen to move in circles to his left and collapse on the floor. The diagnosis came in April, when it was suggested that the brain tumour was not malignant. It soon became apparent that it was.
Able to receive both radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Edward was given fantastic treatment by teams in London and Kent hospitals. By the summer of 2008 Edward appeared to be on the road to recovery; the birth of Harry the previous November had given him a new determination and he oozed positive energy; he was able to begin pursing some of his lighter outdoor activities and regularly took Harry for short bike rides and long walks. Shortly after Harry’s first birthday and Edward’s thirtieth, on a Christmas family skiing trip, his health took a turn for the worse and Edward was admitted to hospital in late December 2008.
Diagnoses were varied and confusing, but it became clear that Edward was deteriorating rapidly: once a fit and active young man, he was reduced to communicating through hand pressure and eye movement and unable to function without help. Edward’s family moved him from the Guy’s Hospital in London to a family holiday cottage on the white cliffs of Dover where he was able to spend his last days surrounded by family and those he loved. Early on Friday 13th February 2009, Edward died.
Although cut short, Edward’s life was a blessed and genuinely full one, and his positive attitude throughout his ordeal was truly inspiring. Harry is developing into an energetic little boy and displays many of Edward’s characteristics; the similarities are startling and a source of comfort and real joy to all the family.
The help received from Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust was enormous for Edward’s wife and his mother; it is something the family will never forget. The work the Trust does is ground-breaking and hugely important. It really is shocking how little the world seems to know about brain tumours. The aim of the group is to raise money for Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust in Edward’s name so that they can continue to help families like ours and uncover some of the unanswered questions.
Who well lives, long lives; for this age of ours should not be numbered by years, days, and hours. ~ Guillaume de Salluste Du Bartas, Divine Weeks and Works, 1578
Fundraising
Please see the latest JustGiving page for details of ongoing fundraising by Edward’s friends and family: http://www.justgiving.com/inmemoryof-EdwardDyson
Ed with son Harry
As Edward was so active and such a huge sport enthusiast, the Group decided it would only be fitting that the fundraising in his name followed in the spirit of this.
By 13th February 2011, 2 years after Edward died, the Group exceeded any initial fundraising expectations by passing the £27,000 mark. We are so grateful for the sterling efforts made by his friends, family and friends of the family who have been critical in helping to keep this going and always welcome any new fundraising/awareness raising ideas or just donations in loving memory of Edward.
Sue Guy at Hadrian's Wall
Sue Guy, Edward’s aunt, kicked off the fundraising events in style by walking five long days of Hadrian’s Wall in June 2009 and raised an amazing £1,710.
A huge number of Edward’s family & friends joined in the SDBTT Walk Around the World week in October 2009. They managed to clock up a very long 150 miles and raise £1,062. The children and staff of St Mary’s Primary School in Deal joined the challenge and raised £175 to the grand total.
Kathryn Purcell, a friend of Edward’s family, ran the Bath Half Marathon on March 7th 2010, in under 2 1/2 hours, raising a fantastic amount of £386.50.
Suzanne & Mark Rawlings, Edward’s colleagues from Adastra, joined the new UK Beetle Club Charity Convoy ‘LEJOG 2010′ on April 26th 2010, and covered five packed days of driving the length of the UK to raise a brilliant £326.
From May 1st 2010, Byron Vincent, Edward’s sister’s boyfriend, and his friend Terry Bingley completed a cycling feat of Lands End to John O’Groats. They cycled an average of 80 miles per day over two weeks with no back up team to support them and raised an outstanding amount of £2,436.19.
Edward’s employer, Adastra hosted a gala dinner on 19th May 2010 as part of its annual national conference. The company raised £2,000 for charity through a raffle and chose to split the money raised in memory of Greg Highwood-Mack, Edward’s colleague who died in March 2006, and in memory of Edward.
Owen Dyson, Edward’s father and Isabel Dyson, Edward’s sister ran the British London 10k on 11th July 2010 as part of the SDBTT team and raised an incredible £2,384.
Victoria Dyson, Edward’s wife, organised a Sex and the City II themed night of wine, cakes, raffles, fashion and…fun on 10th June 2010, which raised an outstanding £1,216.01.
Victoria Dyson & Mary Wallace, Edward’s wife and mother in law, hosted a summer evening of music and entertainment with a Michael Buble tribute act and the Sir Roger Manwood’s School jazz band on 20th August 2010 and raised a superb £1,702.
Throughout March 2010, Rosemary Dyson, Edward’s mother, and many friends ‘raised a cuppa to raise awareness!’ – an SDBTT Tea Party initiative that ran during Brain Tumour Awareness Month in March 2010. Many thanks also to Gill Aust who hosted a tea party and raised £180 from the sale of tea cakes and books. Cheers to you all!
Edward’s cousins Elin, Sian and Rhun Jones raised an incredible £500 hosting car boots around Wales throughout the summer with the help of their late Aunt Beryl. They continue to host car boot fairs and donate the proceeds to SDBTT.
Isabel Dyson, Edward’s sister, ran the O2 Run to the Beat Half Marathon on 26th September 2010 and raised £812.50.
Henry Dyson, Edward’s brother, and his friend Ed Hall trekked the Machu Picchu trail in Peru on October 3rd 2010, each carrying 19k and raised £2,860.
Edward’s old school, Sir Roger Manwood’s School in Sandwich made SDBTT their charity of the year and participated in various fantastic fundraising events throughout the year. At the end of November 2010 the school presented SDBTT with a cheque totalling a fantastic £5,579.13.
Throughout Brain Tumour Awareness Month in March 2010 and March 2011, Rosemary Dyson, Edward’s mother held a series of SDBTT Raise-a-Cuppa tea parties with Gill Aust, a family friend to raised over £350.
The Group got busy throughout March 2011 selling SDBTT raffle tickets helping to raise £340 during Brain Tumour Awareness month.
Penny Matkin, a childhood friend of Ed’s undertook the incredible Ultra Tour du Mont Blanc (UTMB) on 26th August 2011 – a stupendous race of 101 miles, circumnavigating Mont Blanc, climbing a total of ten peaks which total over 9,000 meters ascent and descent which Penny completed in just over 41 hours, coming 559th out of over 2,000 and also managed to raise an incredible £1,595.
A team of runners, Owen Dyson, Henry Dyson, Isabel Dyson, Nicola Cresswell and Bernie Cresswell successfully ran the Royal Parks Half Marathon as part of the SDBTT team on 9th October 2011. Between them, the team hosted a race night, two pub quizzes and was awarded corporate matched funding recognition to raise a grand total of £4,785.
Henry Dyson, Edward’s brother andAshley Breeze, Edward’s friend undertook the Men’s Health Survival of the Fittest challenge, Survival in the Smoke on 12th November 2012, at Battersea Power Station, London.
