A mother from Staffordshire is hoping to raise up to £150,000 after doctors told her there was "nothing more they could do" for her daughter, who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia at the age of 16.
Kaitlyn Hurlstone, now 18, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, developed tonsillitis in April 2024 before noticing "very strange" overgrown gums that "detached themselves". A month later, at the end of May, her mother, Angharad Hurlstone, 38, took her to the dentist, but they were sent home without answers because no one was "sure what it was".
Diagnosis and Treatment
Kaitlyn later developed persistent vomiting, leg pain and fatigue, prompting doctors to order an urgent blood test in June. Within hours, she was called to hospital for an emergency assessment, where she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia. According to the NHS, acute myeloid leukaemia is a cancer of the white blood cells that progresses quickly and aggressively. Symptoms include paleness, tiredness, breathlessness, frequent infections, and bone and joint pain.
Since her diagnosis, Kaitlyn has undergone four rounds of chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant and brain surgery to reduce sudden swelling. However, in 2026, her cancer spread to her spinal fluid, causing further severe damage and swelling. She was left blind and unresponsive in a life-threatening condition for a week.
Unexpected Turn
After suddenly "turning a corner", Angharad said her daughter is now in "uncharted waters". The family is raising money to try to access either a £9,000-a-month "breakthrough drug" or a £150,000 stem cell transplant because she claimed the "NHS won't fund another one".
Recalling the moment doctors warned her to prepare to say goodbye to her daughter, Angharad told PA Real Life: "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 added: "I didn't know people said their goodbyes. Hearing that now, it just hits you."
Angharad also reflected on how doctors explained Kaitlyn's diagnosis. "We've got to think that Kaitlyn is a lawn of grass and it's covered in weeds," Angharad remembered the doctor said. "What we need to do is kill the weeds, but when we do that, we will kill some of the lawn."
Challenging Journey
Because of the aggressive nature of her cancer, Kaitlyn began chemotherapy the following day. She was only well enough to attend one hour of her school prom before returning to hospital for further treatment, including regular platelet and blood transfusions. A week later, Kaitlyn said it was "a bit devastating" to realise she had started losing her hair. She "waited as long as (she) could" before shaving it off in August because hair had been her "thing" before her diagnosis.
After four rounds of chemotherapy, including "one round of the most intensive chemo that a human body can have", Kaitlyn underwent a stem cell transplant in February 2025. Four months later, she needed brain surgery after swelling caused her to "blow a pupil and (have a) seizure", before she slipped into unconsciousness in intensive care.
Current Situation
Doctors have since told the family they are in "uncharted waters", with Angharad saying two MRI scans taken just days apart showed Kaitlyn's "leukaemia had infiltrated her brain". She added: "(Doctors) hadn't seen an MRI look as bad as Kaitlyn's did with leukaemia infiltration and so fast in comparison to the one four days prior. So that's when they called it and said to get everyone in who needs to see her … to essentially say goodbyes."
Angharad said Kaitlyn remained "unresponsive" during a "whole week of torment" before she "deteriorated rapidly" and underwent two rounds of whole brain radiotherapy. Following her recovery, Angharad said doctors cannot enrol Kaitlyn in a clinical trial because a "relapse in her central nervous system" has made her ineligible on the NHS. Instead, the family is raising money to "get her in front of a private doctor".
She said she is "hopeful" the "breakthrough drug" will target one of Kaitlyn's specific gene mutations, NPM1, so her leukaemia cells do not simply return after chemotherapy. Kaitlyn said: "I just want to be better and for all of it to go away." Angharad added: "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."
You can donate to Kaitlyn's fundraiser on her GoFundMe page here: www.gofundme.com/f/Help-Kaitlyn-Leukaemia16
