Just George Golden Ball at Chippenham Hall on September 27

George Radcliffe, from Isleham, passed away in October 2023, having been diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma in May 2022, when he was three.

To raise funds for research into rhabdomyosarcoma, his parents, Lisa and David, set up the Special Named Fund Just George at Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG), and incredibly, have since raised almost £120,000.

The couple have been supported in their efforts by friends, family, colleagues and former colleagues, as well as many in their local community and even strangers who have simply been inspired by George and his story.

Play date events, endurance challenges and darts competitions are just some of the many amazing things people have organised in memory of George, to help raise money for vital research.

The money raised by Lisa, David and their supporters, and by other CCLG Special Named Funds, Pass The Smile For Ben, Be More Ruby, Team Jake, Jacob’s Join, Hattie’s Rainbow of Hope Appeal, Cohen’s Fight and The Jenni Clarke Fund, has now been able to help support two new research projects.

(Image: Just George)

Lisa spoke of being “absolutely blown away” at being able to have done so.

“I didn't think we'd raise this amount of money so quickly, and never thought we'd be able fund research this soon,” she said.

David added: “The two research projects are so important. It is time to think about childhood cancer research differently, to seek kinder and more effective treatments for children.

“We can't keep giving children adult treatments that make them so incredibly poorly and have long-term side effects that impact their lives beyond cancer survival.

“That's why, for us, this fundraising is so important.”

Led by Professor Janet Shipley, at the Institute of Cancer Research, and Dr Darrell Green, at the University of East Anglia, the new projects aim to improve the treatment and care of young rhabdomyosarcoma patients.

Professor Shipley hopes to find a better way to predict how aggressive rhabdomyosarcoma will be at the time of diagnosis, so all patients receive the right amount of treatment. Currently, it can be difficult for doctors to know how best to treat certain patients because there is no way to assess how intensive their treatment needs to be.

(Image: Just George)

She said: “This project aims to identify markers that can identify rhabdomyosarcoma patients that are at greater or lesser risk of succumbing to their disease with current treatments.”

The research team has already found markers that are only found in certain conditions in tumours, like low oxygen levels. In this project, they will test which of these markers is best able to predict risk for patients. This could one day improve the treatment and care of high-risk patients and spare low-risk patients extra toxicity.

Prof Shipley added: “We are very excited to pursue our research using the state-of-the-art technology and analyses that we have established. We really hope and expect this will improve the outlook for future rhabdomyosarcoma patients.”

Dr Green’s project focuses on the fusion-positive type of rhabdomyosarcoma, a type where patients have one of two mutant genes.

He said: “Our project is intended to understand the finer details of rhabdomyosarcoma genetics so that we can eventually develop new medicines that target specific abnormalities. This approach means that medicines will be both more effective and gentler on the rest of the body.”

His team recently discovered that the 3D structure of the mutant gene's instructions, called RNA, is really important for cancer development, behaviour and responses to treatment. In this project, Dr Green will look at what difference the 3D shape makes to the gene and to different patients.

He is especially grateful to the families who have funded his work: “This project has only been made possible because of the unimaginable heartbreak that some families have gone through and their tireless efforts for scientific research. I just cannot say ‘thank you’ enough.”

Lisa spoke of George’s kindness, and empathy and maturity beyond his years, as well as the indelible mark he left on all those he met, which continues to inspire and motivate many of them to have a positive impact on the world.

She said: “He was so mature with his ability to show empathy. He wanted to know that people were okay. He was such a superstar.

“One of the nurses at the hospice said you can live 100 years and leave little or no mark, and that while George had only lived his four, people talk about having learnt lessons from him.

“That relationship he had with people is what is striving people to fundraise and to really think about other children in the future that might be diagnosed and ensuring that they have more treatment options.”

Determined to keep fundraising, and funding more pioneering research, Lisa and David are hosting the Just George Golden Ball at Chippenham Hall on September 27 and they and their supporters have several Christmas-related activities planned.

David said they will not stop: “There is no time to wait. Children have been diagnosed today and will be tomorrow. We hope that no family will have to endure what we have, and we will make George proud by raising funds and awareness that will make a real difference.”