A 24-year-old woman has died battling leukaemia just weeks after she began fundraising for life-saving treatment.
Welsh twins Caitlin and Grace Leggett made headlines earlier this year after Caitlin’s acute myeloid leukaemia diagnosis in April 2025 and urgent need for a stem cell transplant led to the discovery that the young women were actually identical twins, having believed they were fraternal twins their whole lives.
After chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant in December 2025, Caitlin achieved complete remission – but in May 2026, doctors found the cancer had returned, and Caitlin was told that the treatment options available to her in the UK were unlikely to be curative.
Caitlin was told that she had just six months to live on the treatment plan she was on, so she and her family decided to pursue potentially curative treatment abroad – most likely in the US – where treatment and associated costs could reach £500,000, setting up a GoFundMe fundraising page to gather funds from donors.
The fundraising page was launched on June 2, and by June 10, Caitlin had raised £100,000 towards her treatment.
However, on June 13, Caitlin experienced a sudden, serious brain bleed, followed by a series of strokes, and her health rapidly declined.
Caitlin died at 2.42am on June 15, surrounded by her loving family – her twin Grace, brother Ethan, 27, sister Neve, 19, and her parents Jennifer, 54, and Ian, 57. She was 24 years old.
“It was really hard,” Grace said.
“We all got the chance to speak to her. Neve put her favourite pillow spray on, we massaged her hands with lotion, and the nurses gave us a memory box with special paper and a charcoal wipe, so we could take her footprints and hand prints.”
Grace also played piano for her sister, and Caitlin passed away peacefully while music from her favourite pianist, Patrik Pietschmann, was played on a speaker.
“I’m just really glad she wasn’t aware of what happened to her,” Grace added.
“She told me (when she learned she had) six months that she was scared of dying, but I think she was scared of a slow death, knowing she could die in six months.
“So I’m just really grateful that it was really quick, and she didn’t know.”
“We’re only 24 – nobody expects this to happen… Being twins as well, you’re not supposed to have one twin not be there,” she said.
Caitlin and Grace had always been very close, and shared a student house as they both studied at the University of Bristol. Throughout Caitlin’s illness, Grace was by her side – even quitting her job as a complex care personal assistant in Bristol to move back to Cardiff to be closer to her family.
The twins grew up in Cardiff with their siblings Ethan, 27, and Neve, 19.
“You can talk about a million memories you have, even the most normal ones, to the ones where you’ve gone and done things on holidays. When you’re growing up as kids, they’re all just moments, it seems to go on forever. Life seems to go on forever,” said Ethan, who currently lives in Australia with his partner.
“As you grow older, everyone’s off doing their own thing, but what I really like is that the memory of Caitlin, aside from the personal memories, was one of achievements together.”
The very morning before Caitlin was admitted into hospital for the final time, she, Grace and Neve went to try on bridesmaids’ dresses together. Their dad and his partner, Sarah, were planning a wedding, and Caitlin was due to be Sarah’s maid of honour.
“She mentioned to a couple of people that she was the happiest that she’d ever been in her last two weeks,” said Neve.
“Even the morning of, we all tried on bridesmaids dresses together, in the shop, which was really lovely to have that last thing.
“Even though she won’t be there for the wedding, we got to get dressed up, all together.”
Ethan added that his resounding memories of Caitlin will be those filled with laughter.
“She was just really funny. It’s not the type of funny that’s just telling jokes, it’s sibling banter that just bounces off each other – we’re just one upping each other, like tennis,” he said.
“Caitlin was a warm, bubbly, humble and loving daughter who was considerate and endlessly kind to others,” added the siblings’ mum, Jennifer.
“She was fiercely independently-minded and stoic in her attitude to life. Her intelligent and intrinsically motivated character glowed with a free and easy spirit.”
Caitlin’s dad Ian said: “From Caitlin living back home, we appreciated more of her as a person rather than just a daughter – we learnt things we wouldn’t have known otherwise and are so grateful for, despite the illness.
“For example, she was very unapologetically messy! Caitlin would always have a comeback, such as that being messy was a sign of intelligence!”
Ian praised his daughter’s “fighting spirit” and how she “never gave up hope”, as well as her “ability to live in the now and not worry about things outside of her control”.
“Caitlin was very positive and had the outlook that things will always be OK in the end, and if it’s not OK, it’s not the end.”
“She was bright as a button and sharp as a pin – you couldn’t win an argument because she always had something witty to say,” he added.
“Even after diagnosis, all she was concerned about was making sure she did things for other people, and after the last relapse she immediately started making memory boxes for others.
“She never gave up, even after the seizures on Saturday night.
“She fought against the word ‘terminal’, keeping hope until the end.”
Symptoms of AML
NHS
Symptoms can include:
- looking pale or "washed out"
- feeling tired or weak
- breathlessness
- frequent infections
- unusual and frequent bruising or bleeding, such as bleeding gums or nosebleeds
- losing weight without trying to
On June 27, the Leggett family paused the GoFundMe that was set up for Caitlin’s treatment. The total stands at £127,722, and Grace said that the money will largely go to charity.
A donation will be made to Teenage Cancer Trust, Grace explained, to fund a Lead Nurse who strategically oversees the whole service in the Cardiff and South Wales area for a year.
A second donation will be made to Leukaemia UK to fund a research grant, which will support the development of new ideas and translate scientific advances into clinical practice for leukaemia treatment.
A small amount will also be used to honour Caitlin’s legacy through tree planting, memorial plaques, school awards and a dedicated piano in the hospital.
