A teenager, trying to raise £750,000* for life-saving cancer treatment said she wants to be a radiographer and help others with cancer.

It comes as the Dover Mercury, Kentonline's sister paper, launched a campaign urging readers to help Kelly raise the life-saving sum.

The St Edmund's catholic School pupil, 16, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer - desmoplastic small round cell tumour (DSRCT) - in October.

Since then she has undergone nine rounds of chemotherapy, lost all her hair, and has recently been told that surgery to remove the tumour is not available to her on the NHS.

She has missed out on so much school and is not able to sit the majority of her exams, except English, this summer.

Despite this, and the potential she only has two years to live unless the cash is raised, she has her eyes firmly on her future.

She said: “I want to become a radiographer so I can help other people.

“I hope people can help me get the surgery because it is really important.

“I haven’t been able to do all my exams yet because I have had so many hospital appointments and blood tests. I also have to be careful not to get infected.

“I haven’t had a great deal of time to study but I hope I will be back at school in September.”

Kelly had been fit and well until she was diagnosed with the condition last October.

Her dad, Martin Turner, said: “Her stomach bloated because of a fluid inside it and she was in great pain. It was so bad that the doctors couldn’t give her enough painkillers for it.

“They had to drain out 12 litres of fluid in her in four days, which is absolutely appalling as she is just 5ft 6in and only slightly built.”

DSRCT is an aggressive and rare tumour that typically begins in the abdomen or pelvis.
It is considered a paediatric cancer and is more common in males.

Most patients are young and otherwise healthy and the disease has few early warning signs.
The tumours can spread quickly and has a dismal prognosis but there have been known survivors.

Mr Turner, 61, added: “It’s been devastating. Everyone says that but it truly has. She’s 16 years old. She’s been traumatised.”

The chemotherapy has worked and Kelly is feeling much better but without surgery her life expectancy is around two years.

The retired civil servant described his daughter as beautiful and creative and said: “It’s appalling. They say it’s not a money thing but we know it’s a matter of money.”

The teenager, who is also a talented artist, was diagnosed at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.

She was then referred to St George’s Hospital in Tooting, London, before receiving treatment at the Royal Marsden in Sutton.

The tumours are close to her liver. Therefore the hospital, and a long list of others they have approached, are not prepared to carry out surgery, he claims.

They have one more hospital to try in Manchester. If that fails, the only choice will be to fly out to the US and pay for treatment there.

The family has embarked on the campaign to collect £750,000 to cover the cost.

Mr Turner said: “There’s a patient we know of a few years older than Kelly from the UK, who went to America and is recovering at the moment, so we know it’s possible.

“Even if I remortgaged my house it would only just scratch the surface.”

“I just feel numb really. It’s difficult to get on with normal life. Kelly is delightful and wonderful and gorgeous and we love her lots. We’re so proud of her.”

During her chemo, Kelly has been studying English language and literature at home, so she can sit her GCSEs. She hopes to continue the rest of her exams next year.

To help her raise the money she needs click here.

* At the time this article was published, Kelly's parents were raising £750,000 - a figure quoted to another girl with the same diagnosis as Kelly. Since then, an official quote from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York revealed the family needs to raise the higher sum of $1.2m. The paperwork corresponding to this quote has been seen by Kentonline reporters.