Hi, my name is Layla, and I am raising funds for urgent private medical care for my chronic bladder and kidney conditions.

My mum has been highlighting concerns about my health since I was around 5 years old, but for many years we struggled to be listened to or taken seriously. Despite repeated attempts to seek help through the NHS, including multiple visits to A&E as my symptoms worsened, I am still yet to receive the investigations and treatment needed to properly manage my condition. This has been incredibly frustrating and frightening, and it has ultimately left me with no choice but to seek private care.

I want to be honest, I am not someone who ever asks others for help. Anyone who knows me personally knows that I always try to manage things on my own and keep pushing forward. Creating this fundraiser has been a very difficult decision, but it has become a necessary one because my health and my future now depend on getting the right care quickly.

I was born with only one functioning kidney, while the other developed as a cluster of cysts. As I grew older, new complications appeared. A CT scan in my late teens revealed a mass of cysts in the aortic region of my intestines, believed to be linked to my left cystic kidney. During laparoscopic surgery in November 2025, doctors also discovered a functioning left ureter, which something that should not exist without a kidney, and this will require further investigation.

In addition to this, I have had superficial endometriosis removed from my bladder, and I am currently suspected to have interstitial cystitis, as well as kidney and bladder stones. I also have only around half the bladder capacity expected for someone my age. My symptoms continue to worsen, affecting my sleep, daily activities, and overall quality of life.

Seeking private care was never something I wanted to do, it has truly been a last resort. Unfortunately, because my conditions have existed since childhood, my health insurance will not cover the treatment I now urgently need.

I have worked incredibly hard toward my future and am planning to begin a career in aircraft engineering after completing my A-levels. This career requires me to pass a medical assessment, which I can only do if my conditions are properly diagnosed and managed.

Time is now critical. Even with an expedited referral, waiting times to see specialists through the NHS can be up to a year, and that is before treatment even begins. I am hoping to start my career in September, and without timely medical care, that opportunity could be delayed or lost.

I am determined not to let my health stop me from achieving the future I have worked so hard for.

The next essential steps in my treatment are:

These investigations are the starting point for understanding and managing my condition properly.

The estimated cost of the cystoscopy and MRI alone is approximately £6,000, which is beyond what I can afford on my own.

If you are able to donate, any amount (no matter how small) would make an enormous difference to my life and my future. If you are unable to donate, simply sharing this fundraiser would mean the world to me.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story and for any support you can give.