An inspirational Wishaw trainee nurse, saved from cancer thanks to a transplant after a match was found on the other side of the world, will start Strathclyde Park's Pretty Muddy event this weekend.
Ayley Crawford, 21, received the stem cell donation from a stranger thousands of miles away in Australia. The donor's cells were harvested and flown to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow within 24 hours, where Ayley had the life-saving transplant on July 31 last year.
Now in remission, Ayley has been chosen as the official starter for Cancer Research UK's Pretty Muddy, a 5k mud-splattered obstacle course at Strathclyde Country Park on June 13. Money raised will help scientists find new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat the disease, aiming for a world where everyone lives longer, better lives free from the fear of cancer.
Ayley's Journey
Ayley said: "I'm incredibly grateful to feel well again and it's difficult to find the right words to thank my donor. All I know is that a 21-year-old man from Australia with stem cells that were a perfect match gave me back my life. What he has done is amazing and in time I would like to write to say thank you. The star of the show was what looked like a bag of red blood cells that were gathered from him and flown overnight to Scotland."
She added: "In a hospital room in Glasgow decorated with balloons, we put a sign on the wall saying 'happy rebirthday'. After more than a year of cancer treatment and uncertainty, this marked the start of a huge new chapter in my life."
Ayley vividly recalls the moment her life was turned upside down on May 23, 2024, after tests revealed she had acute myeloid leukaemia, a cancer that starts inside the bone marrow. Ayley, who was studying nursing at Glasgow Caledonian University, had gone for tests after suffering from flu-like symptoms, exhaustion, and dizzy spells.
Her mother, Lyndsay Hunter, was with her at University Hospital, Wishaw, when doctors told Ayley she had cancer. Just four days earlier, Ayley had been in town with friends celebrating her 19th birthday. Now she faced weeks in a hospital ward at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in Glasgow receiving chemotherapy.
Ayley said: "I was in shock and it was the beginning of the hardest journey of my life. In the blink of an eye, everything changed. Overnight my plans, my freedom, and my sense of normality were gone. I had only just started university and was excited to become a nurse. Suddenly I found myself entering the clinical world from the opposite side, as a patient, and I was frightened."
Friends could see from her Snapchat location that she was in hospital, and she received many messages asking what was happening. She eventually facetimed a close friend to let them know she had cancer. "I didn't even cry but we were both in disbelief that this was actually happening."
Later, as Ayley came to terms with the diagnosis, she made a TikTok video listing common cancer symptoms. She was stunned when the video went viral, receiving more than a million views.
Relapse and Transplant
Her hair thinned during six weeks of chemotherapy when she frequently felt sick. But her boyfriend, Riley Hill, 20, supported her every step of the way. By Christmas 2024, Ayley was told she was in remission and planned trips to Dublin, Amsterdam, and Spain. But in February 2025, tests showed the cancer had returned.
Ayley said: "It was hard to hear that I had relapsed. All I felt was adrenalin. I had slowly been starting to get back to normal life and now it felt like the last six months had been for nothing. My whole world shifted for the second time."
Doctors explained that a stem cell transplant was now the best option. A family member was only a partial match, so a search of the global stem cell register was conducted. It was a huge relief when a 100% match was found in Australia. The transplant of stem cells was administered into Ayley's bloodstream through a drip.
The first 100 days after the transplant were tough. Ayley had blood, platelet, magnesium, and potassium infusions. Her weight dropped as she struggled to eat. But slowly her health returned. She said: "The weeks after the stem transplant were undoubtedly the toughest of my life. It was difficult to be patient and to accept that my body was still healing. The waiting felt endless."
In April this year, Ayley received a lymphocyte infusion, a procedure where she received white blood cells from the stem cell donor.
Looking Forward
Ayley is now doing well and hopes to return to her nursing course in September. On May 19 this year, she celebrated her 21st birthday with friends and family. She said: "I had an amazing birthday weekend and felt incredibly lucky to be marking my 21st birthday after a time when I didn't know what my future would look like. But it was also a bittersweet week as May 23 was my second anniversary since being diagnosed with cancer."
"Cancer took everything from me and completely changed my outlook on life. I now see the world differently and value every single moment with a new sense of purpose. If I can help others going through something similar then I will. I've wanted to become a nurse ever since I started school and I'm determined to reach that goal."
On June 13 at Strathclyde Country Park, Ayley plans to take part in Pretty Muddy. She'll be joined by family and old school friends from Coltness High School who, in 2024, raised more than £11,000 for Cancer Research UK by completing the obstacle course in her honour during her cancer treatment.
