Davina McCall visits Tunbridge Wells girl with brain tumour
Girl with brain tumour visited by Davina McCall
20 minutes ago
Share
Save
Jacob Panons
BBC News, South East
Share
Save
Mat
Davina McCall met the whole family, including Kirsty's sisters Isla and Doris
An 11-year-old girl with a brain tumour has been visited at home by Davina McCall as the presenter shared her experiences with the schoolgirl.
Kirsty was told by doctors in November that she had a brain tumour which was causing her to lose her eyesight and memory.
McCall, who was also told in November she had a rare brain tumour, visited the family in Tunbridge Wells on Friday.
Kirsty's dad Mat said: "I just thought it would be a really lovely thing for Kirsty to meet someone who has been through it, and it absolutely was."
Mat
Kirsty has raised thousands of pounds for Children with Cancer UK
Kirsty has been crocheting 70 bunting triangles to mark every week of her treatment to raise money for Children with Cancer UK.
Her Crochet for Cancer campaign has already raised more than £16,000 for the charity, and the 11-year-old wants to deliver leaflets about her work "to most of the houses in Kent".
She said of her meeting with McCall: "We talked about our different brain tumours and my fundraising.
"She thought that was a really amazing idea and she was happy to record a video to help me raise more money.
"I crocheted her a pair of cherries and it even matched her phone case."
Mat said he got in contact with McCall through "a friend of a friend" and the presenter agreed to visit the family.
He added: "She was so generous with her time and her attention. She's a very empathetic woman and is really good at connecting.
"She spoke to Kirsty about her own experiences and asked Kirsty in depth about her own tumour and her treatment."
Mat said the visit was an "uplifting" experience for Kirsty.
McCall, who hosted Channel 4's Big Brother, underwent surgery in November after a colloid cyst was found during a health check-up as part of her menopause advocacy work.
After MRI scans, the presenter confirmed her benign brain tumour was "not coming back".
Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
31 minutes ago
- Telegraph
NHS patients to receive drug that destroys cancer from inside
A so-called 'Trojan Horse' drug that destroys blood cancer from within is set to be rolled out to thousands of NHS patients. The health service will be the first in the world to make the drug available to patients with multiple myeloma – an incurable cancer of the bone marrow. The drug, called belantamab mafadotin, was developed in the UK and has been dubbed a 'Trojan Horse' therapy because it tricks cancer cells into absorbing it before killing them from within. While the cancer is incurable, treatment is designed to extend people's lives by as much as possible while minimising the impact of side effects and on quality of life. In trials, cancer progression was delayed by three years on average in those taking the drug, which was three times longer than the most common treatment. Around 1,500 patients a year in England will benefit after the treatment was approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on Thursday. The drug will be offered to patients whose cancer has progressed or not responded to the first choice of treatment using another drug, lenalidomide. Patients who are prescribed the drug will receive it via an infusion once every three weeks in combination with two other cancer treatments.
The Guardian
44 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Blood cancer patients in England first in world to be offered ‘Trojan horse' drug
Thousands of patients in England with blood cancer will become the first in the world to be offered a pioneering 'Trojan horse' drug that sneaks inside cancer cells and wipes them out. In guidance published on Friday, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) gave the green light to belantamab mafodotin, which can halt the advance of multiple myeloma for three times as long as standard treatments. The targeted therapy, which is given as an infusion every three weeks with other cancer drugs, is a special type of antibody drug that targets and attaches to cancer cells. It has been described as a Trojan horse treatment because it works by being taken into a cancer cell and unleashing a high concentration of a lethal molecule to destroy the cell from inside. Prof Peter Johnson, NHS England's national clinical director for cancer, said the drug would be life-changing for patients and their families. 'Myeloma is an aggressive type of blood cancer, but we have seen a steady improvement in the outlook for patients over recent years as we have introduced new targeted therapies,' he said. 'I am delighted that patients in England will be the first to benefit from this new treatment, which has the potential to keep cancer at bay for years longer, giving people the chance of more precious time with friends and family.' About 1,500 patients a year in England with multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer of the bone marrow, will benefit from the treatment, also known as Blenrep and made by GlaxoSmithKline. Health officials said the drug would be offered to patients whose cancer had progressed or failed to respond to another first-line treatment. Shelagh McKinlay, the director of research and advocacy at the blood cancer charity Myeloma UK, said it was fantastic to see the NHS become the first healthcare system in the world to roll out the drug. 'We have been working very hard for the last year to get this treatment approved and we know it will transform the lives of thousands of people with myeloma,' she said. Paul Silvester, 60, from Sheffield, described the impact of the drug as amazing after he was diagnosed with myeloma in 2023. After the first treatment he received failed to stop his cancer progressing, he was given belantamab mafodotin through an early access programme at the Royal Hallamshire hospital. 'I feel like this treatment has brought the party balloons back in the house. It has been amazing – within the first two or three weeks, after the first dose, I was in remission,' he said. Trials suggest the treatment, in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone, delays progression of the disease by an average of three years, compared with one year for patients taking the commonly used drug daratumumab along with the other treatments. Helen Knight, the director of medicines evaluation at Nice, said: 'This recommendation demonstrates our commitment to getting the best care to patients fast, while ensuring value for the taxpayer.' The health minister Karin Smyth said: 'This groundbreaking therapy puts the NHS at the forefront of cancer innovation. By harnessing cutting-edge 'Trojan horse' technology, we're offering new hope to blood cancer patients across the country.'
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Kidney Research UK boss appointed OBE at special ceremony
A charity chief executive who has overseen more than £71m being ploughed into research for kidney disease has become an OBE at a special Currie, from Northampton, has been at Peterborough-based Kidney Research UK for more than 12 Wednesday she visited Windsor Castle to be appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the Prince of Wales, which she called a "very special moment".She was recognised in the King's New Year Honours list earlier this year for her services to people affected by the disease. "To represent the kidney community in such a setting was incredibly humbling," she explained. "This honour helps raise the profile of a disease that affects one-in-ten people in the UK, can have devastating consequences for those who reach kidney failure, but is still overlooked. "I'm grateful for the recognition, and more determined than ever to keep pushing for change."There are more than 7.2m people living in the UK with kidney disease, including more than 80,000 in Northamptonshire, the charity Currie has worked to invest millions into research, as well as improve awareness of the disease. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
