Young Kirsty, 11, with a brain tumour calling on West Midlands women with same name to support fundraiser

An 11-year-old girl, with a brain tumour, has launched a national appeal calling on others who share her name to help her raise money for charity.

Kirsty Waugh, from Royal Tunbridge Wells, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in November 2024 and is currently receiving weekly chemotherapy. After over a year of treatment, her next course of chemotherapy is expected to continue for approximately 80 weeks.

But while she continues her treatment, the youngster is keeping her spirits high by searching far and wide for her namesakes and raising much-needed funds for OSCAR’s Paediatric Brain Tumour Charity, supporting urgently needed research into kinder, more effective treatments for children.

Speaking about the campaign, Kirsty said: “Treatment is tough for all kids with brain tumours: I’ve lost a lot of hair, had blood transfusions, gone to hospital a lot…and that’s why research needs to be done to find kinder treatments. Only 3p in every £100 of government funding into cancer research goes to help children like me.”

The campaign has already identified over 7,500 people named Kirsty or Kirstie and has raised more than £70,000 for the charity which was set up 12 years ago in memory of 9-year-old Oscar Hughes from York.

However, Kirsty’s dad, who was born and raised in Birmingham, is calling upon his home city to increase it’s support. Mat Waugh said: “My 11-year-old daughter, Kirsty, is looking to track down every Kirsty or Kirstie in the country. She has found over 9,500 in the UK alone and lots more worldwide.

“In Birmingham, however, we've yet to make much of a dent. We've found just 20 so far in the city, as you can see below: but we reckon there are around 600, and likely to be 1,500 in the West Midlands. For comparison: in Portsmouth, five times smaller than Birmingham, we've found over 200 Kirstys. Where are they all?

“Since I was born and brought up in Birmingham (Kings Heath, school at King Edwards Camp Hill), it's killing me to see such a low response!

“Every time a Kirsty or a supporter is added to the map, and every donation made, gives Kirsty a lift. It's such a difficult time for her and us as a family. It is amazing that she will be responsible for helping to fund research, but it is doubly-amazing that people are taking time out to think of her and put a big smile on her face when she needs it most.”

The fundraiser quickly gained momentum following a meeting with Kirsty Gilmour, the UK’s number one badminton player, who became the campaign’s first official “find” after the pair met at the All England Badminton Championships.

Other supporters include presenter Kirstie Allsopp who surprised Kirsty when she appeared on BBC Breakfast; Kirsty Gallacher, children’s author Kirsty Applebaum, TV presenter Kirstie Wark , Davina McCall (who underwent brain tumour surgery in 2024) and Heart FM’s Jamie Theakston, who featured Kirsty on his show.

If your name is Kirsty, Kirstie - or even if you have a more unique variation of the name - you can add your name to the map via the My Name Is Kirsty website.