Craig Hodgson

I dont know if this has been mentioned on here before but I reckon it should be supported

Quote: "ONE thing that I love about Rugby League is that when one of its number needs a helping hand, they get it.

The way that supporters and playersof the game have rallied around those in need in recent years makes me reallyproud to be involved in this great game.

And on Friday I heard about a young lad, a first-grade amateur player, who very much needs some help.

His name is Craig Hodgson, a Wakefield Trinity Wildcats supporter who is 22 years old. He plays for EastmoorDragons and was recently diagnosed with testicular cancer. He has undergone chemotherapy and various operations.

But sadly the cancer has spread, and Craig now needs to get his hands on a drug called Plerixafor, which is animmunostimulant used in to multiply hematopoietic stem cells in cancer patients.

Okay, I got that last bit offWikipedia, and I'm not entirely sure what it means! But what I do know is that Craig urgently needs to get his hands on the drug in the next three weeks, and it will cost him £10,000.

It will cost so much because it is not available on the NHS. That is because it is still in the trial stages.

Imagine having to raise that amount of money in such a short period of time!

Well, luckily, Craig has the Rugby League family behind him, and I'm sure we can help him pull it off.

We've already agreed that an All Star team will visit Eastmoor Dragons on Easter Sunday (8 April) to play a local side - either the Dragons themselves or a Wakefield rep side.

The All Stars will include myself,John Joyner, Paul Sculthorpe, Paul Newlove, my fellow columnist, the recently retired Nick Fozzard, John Lawless and Colin Maskill. That was within a few hours of us deciding to stage the game, and there are many more star names who we will be asking - some of the best in the business!

A few are unable to play because of injury, or because they have Super League commitments. But they have promised to help us by donating something that we can sell by auction. These guys include Martin Offiah, Tony Smith (the Warrington coach), Tony Smith (the former Castleford and Wigan player) and Paul Anderson.

And I'd like to hope that many of the stars of today's game will turn up and watch, given that there are no SuperLeague fixtures on Easter Sunday. Castleford Tigers have already thrown their weight behind the venture by donating a signed shirt, and by highlighting the cause on their website, and I thank them for that.

Over the next few days, I'll be emailing all the clubs asking for some signed jerseys and other memorabiliathat we can auction off.

So please help by turning up at Eastmoor Dragons on Easter Sunday, or by donating to the cause here
http://www.gofundme.com/h95u4rl

Many thanks in advance!

GARRY SCHOFIELD - League Express, Mon 19th March 2012 '"