An 11-year-old girl in Kent has transformed a simple first name into a worldwide appeal for paediatric brain tumour research.

Kirsty Waugh, from Tunbridge Wells, is asking people who share her name to back fundraising tied to the treatment she is undergoing for a brain tumour. Reports indicate she has already persuaded more than 10,000 Kirstys and name variants to add themselves to a map, creating a striking picture of support that stretches far beyond Britain.

Key Facts

  • Kirsty Waugh is an 11-year-old schoolgirl from Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
  • She is raising money for paediatric brain tumour research while receiving treatment.
  • More than 10,000 Kirstys and variant spellings have reportedly joined her campaign map.
  • The map includes participants from countries such as Colombia and Malaysia, and even Antarctica.

The idea works because it feels both personal and expansive. What starts with one child and one name quickly becomes something larger: a shared identity turned into a public act of support. The campaign welcomes Kirstys, Kirsties, Kersties and other spelling variations, but it does not stop there. Non-Kirstys can donate too, widening the effort from a clever naming challenge into a broader push for research funding.

A schoolgirl’s call for fellow Kirstys has grown into an international show of support for paediatric brain tumour research.

The map itself gives the campaign a rare kind of visibility. Sources suggest entries now span locations from Colombia to Malaysia, with even the Rothera research station in Antarctica represented. That reach turns an intensely local story in Tunbridge Wells into a global one, showing how a digital campaign can carry urgency, personality and purpose without losing sight of the child at its centre.

What happens next matters well beyond this one fundraiser. Every new supporter adds money, attention and momentum to a field where families need better answers and better outcomes. As Kirsty approaches her 12th birthday, her campaign stands as a reminder that awareness alone does not fund research — people do, whether they share her name or not.