A Greater Manchester Police officer has launched a charity to support families of sick children in memory of his six-year-old son who died following a short battle with sepsis.
PC Dave Fenton and his wife Jane lost their 'kind and inspiring' son William in November 2019.
William was born with Total Intestinal Aganglionosis Hirschsprungs Disease, which affects the bowel and other organs.
He was taken to hospital in October 2019 after developing sepsis, but passed away six weeks later.
William's death has left a 'huge hole' in their lives, his heartbroken dad said.
He spent much of his short life in hospital, which was often 'lonely and stressful' for the family.
William's parents wanted to support other families who find themselves in a similar situation.
That's why Dave and Jane set up William's Gift, which will provide the families of sick children with care packages to keep them going during lengthy hospital visits
The packages would be filled with essential items like toothbrushes and deodorants.
The charity has an orange balloon as its logo, which was taken from one of William’s school books.
PC Fenton has been a serving police officer for 15 years and currently works for GMP's City of Manchester division.
He said: “The loss of William has left a huge hole in our lives, especially for his big sister Sophia who was his best friend.
“William was the most courageous, kind and inspiring young man. Even though he had this awful disease, he just loved life and had the most infectious smile.
“William spent a lot of time in hospital including the first full year of his life and it was hard on all of us. It could be lonely and stressful and often very noisy so we never really slept properly. It was also financially difficult.
“We often found ourselves in an ambulance in the middle of the night heading to hospital and almost every time we realised we’d forgotten to bring toiletries, such as toothbrushes and deodorant with us.
“We decided to set-up William’s Gift to help children and their families whilst at hospital and we’ll cover Manchester Children’s Hospital and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital specifically as they hold a special place in our hearts.
“We are so passionate about this charity and just want to help as many families as we can. We have started fundraising in earnest and I have signed up to do a 24 hour endurance run in August. If this is cancelled I will most certainly be running or jogging for the full 24 hours in my back garden.”
To support William's Gift, click here.
For more information, visit the Facebook page.
