An 18-year-old from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Kaitlyn Hurlstone, is at the centre of a desperate fundraising campaign after doctors told her family to prepare for the worst when her acute myeloid leukaemia spread to her brain. Her mother, Angharad Hurlstone, is now aiming to raise up to £150,000 for private treatment, including a breakthrough drug or a second stem cell transplant, which the NHS will not fund.
A sudden diagnosis after strange symptoms
Kaitlyn's ordeal began in April 2024 when she contracted tonsillitis. What followed was a series of alarming symptoms: her gums grew over her teeth and then became detached, flapping down inside her mouth. Her mother, a 38-year-old event decorator, took her to the dentist in late May, but the dentist was unsure of the cause.
As Kaitlyn's condition worsened with vomiting, leg pain, and fatigue, a GP arranged an urgent blood test on 21 June. Within hours, the family was called to an emergency hospital assessment, and just four hours after the blood test, Kaitlyn was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia – a rapidly progressing cancer of the white blood cells.
Four rounds of chemo, a stem cell transplant, and brain surgery
Since her diagnosis, Kaitlyn has undergone four rounds of chemotherapy, including one described as “the most intensive chemo that a human body can have” in December 2024. She also had a stem cell transplant in February 2025 and brain surgery in June 2025 to relieve swelling that caused a seizure and loss of consciousness.
Despite these efforts, in June 2026, the cancer spread to her spinal fluid, causing severe brain swelling that left her blind and unresponsive for a week. Doctors told the family to gather loved ones to say goodbye.
“The worst day of my entire life”
Angharad recalled: “It was probably the worst day of my entire life. Kaitlyn was unresponsive... and then it was like she just completely turned a corner. And then she was laughing and joking with her friends. It was truly like a miracle had happened.”
Kaitlyn, who was 16 at diagnosis, said: “I didn't know people said their goodbyes. Hearing that now, it just hits you.”
Fundraising for a second chance
After this sudden recovery, doctors admitted they are in “uncharted waters”. Because Kaitlyn's relapse occurred in her central nervous system, she is ineligible for an NHS clinical trial. The family is now fundraising to see a private doctor and access either a £9,000-per-month breakthrough drug targeting her NPM1 gene mutation or a £150,000 stem cell transplant.
Angharad remains hopeful, saying: “We're sharing our story to raise awareness for things to look out for because we would have never in a million years thought that it was leukaemia.”
Kaitlyn added: “I just want to be better and for all of it to go away.”
Donations are being collected via a GoFundMe page, with the family aiming to give Kaitlyn a chance at life beyond the NHS's current options.
