A 24-year-old twin from Cardiff has revealed that a persistent rash was the only sign of a life-threatening cancer that now leaves her with just six months to live. Caitlin Leggett was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in April 2025 after developing a rash that would not go away. Despite undergoing chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant that led to full remission by December, doctors delivered devastating news last month: the cancer had returned, and she had only six months to live.
Diagnosis and Early Signs
In March 2025, Caitlin noticed a rash that did not respond to over-the-counter creams. Her GP ordered blood tests on April 3, 2025, and she was diagnosed with AML the next day. Unlike common symptoms such as fatigue, bruising, or weight loss, Caitlin experienced only the rash, which can be a sign of blood cancer. According to the NHS, AML symptoms can include looking pale, feeling tired, breathlessness, unusual bruising or bleeding, and unexplained weight loss, but Caitlin had none of these.
Twin Bond and Treatment Journey
Caitlin and her identical twin sister Grace have always been exceptionally close, having shared a student house in Bristol. After graduating in July 2024, Caitlin planned to join the Army as an intelligence officer. Her medical assessment was scheduled for April 2025, but the rash led to her diagnosis. The family underwent testing to find a stem cell donor. Initially believed to be fraternal twins, genetic testing in June 2025 revealed they were identical, which complicated the transplant process as the body needs to recognize stem cells as foreign to fight cancer. No other family member was a match.
Caitlin achieved remission in May 2025 after two months of chemotherapy, but the cancer returned to her skin in August 2025. A menin inhibitors clinical trial eliminated the skin leukaemia, and a second transplant was planned for December 2025. However, days before the transplant, the cancer returned. She underwent the transplant with full-body radiotherapy and was declared in remission again in January 2026. Monthly monitoring was scheduled, but an extra check-up in March 2026 revealed the leukaemia had returned, with blast counts rising rapidly from 5.7% to 37% within a week.
Current Situation and Fundraising
Since May 2026, Caitlin has been participating in a drug trial for Bleximenib, but doctors have advised that available treatments in the UK are not curative and predict she has six months to live. She is now seeking treatment abroad, considering specialised leukaemia treatment in America or CAR-T cell therapy in China or Singapore, with costs potentially reaching £500,000. Caitlin and Grace have launched a GoFundMe page titled 'Saving Caitlin' to raise funds for treatment, travel, accommodation, and sustenance for accompanying family members.
Grace, who quit her job as a complex care personal assistant in Bristol to return home, expressed the pain of facing the loss of her twin: 'We're only 24 - nobody expects this to happen. Being twins, you're not supposed to have one twin not be there. We've gone through life together, and I don't want our story to end here.' Caitlin added: 'At 24, I always assumed I had my whole life ahead of me. There are so many things I still want to do, places I want to see, and memories I want to make with the people I love. What I would miss most isn't one particular event, it's the chance to keep living an ordinary life with the people I love and growing older alongside my twin sister.'
