There is something about finding connection with fellow humans that can help make even the hardest obstacles seem more bearable. So when Kirsty Waugh was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2024, she and her family sought to fight it. Not just for her, but for anyone out there suffering.
They had an ingenious idea. What if they could find every person named Kirsty, Kirstie, or Kirsti in the world to bond together and help support her battle, and any other child who might have the same affliction?
Kirsty’s father Mat Waugh shared a bit of their story on his LinkedIn page, as well as their new plan to be of service. “Last year, our 11-year-old daughter Kirsty – who’s having chemotherapy for a brain tumour – raised £120,000 for Children with Cancer UK. As she cracks on with a second year of chemo, we have a new plan but we need your help!”
Looking for Kirstys
“We’re hunting for every Kirsty, Kirstie, and Kirsti we can find: to show their support for her, and for every other child with a brain tumour. There are about 50,000 in the UK, more elsewhere. There’s a one in three chance that you work, live, or are related to one – that’s the same odds of knowing someone with a brain tumour. (Try tagging below: there were three in my modest circle alone).”
Mat adds the importance of donating, as government child cancer research is underfunded. “Aside from giving a massive, Kirsty-shaped hug, we’re trying to raise money for badly needed research into child brain tumours: just 3p in every £100 of gov cancer funding gets allocated. Yet it’s the biggest cancer killer of kids, and indeed anyone under 40. Every penny raised will be spent on projects vetted and selected by OSCAR’s Paediatric Brain Tumour Charity to find kinder, better treatments.
Everyone can show their support by joining Kirsty’s map and perhaps making a donation. Please help our girl by sharing her quest and let’s find those Kirstys!”
Kirsty shares her story
On their website, “My Name is Kirsty,” there is a statement from Kirsty herself. “My name is Kirsty. I’m 11, and I’m sorry you don’t have the best name in the world. But you can help! Here’s how.” She then relays the similar details her father had listed about her journey with chemo, and how to raise money for others.
There is a clickable map that shows every Kirsty in the world (who has so far participated), from Europe to Canada to the US to Australia. A red star indicates a “Kirsty” (or a spelling close to it), and a green heart represents a supporter.
Update on Kirsty
Upworthy had the chance to speak with Mat, who gave us updates and explained more about how the idea to create a “Kirsty map” came to be.
Upworthy: First and foremost, how is Kirsty feeling now?
Mat: “Kirsty’s into her second year of weekly chemotherapy following her diagnosis in November 2024 for a benign brain tumour. If you’ve known anyone who’s gone through this, you’ll know that it’s really tough. Hair loss, nausea, anaemia, aches, and lack of energy: she’s had it all. And she has more than a year to go. It’s tough-going psychologically, too. But she’s a bright, feisty, and creative girl who fills her time with crochet, dance, and everything else she can manage. We’re learning a lot from her! ‘One day at a time’ is the cliche, but it’s true that we’re not looking too far ahead because we can’t control that. We can, however, control how much fun we have today.”
How to help
Upworthy: Whose idea was the “Finding Kirsty” challenge, and how did you turn it into such a successful nonprofit?
Mat: “The idea to find all the Kirstys came because she had to change treatment, and suddenly 70 weeks of chemo became 150. She’d spent much of 2025 raising money with her crochet project, raising £120,000 for a children’s cancer charity. But over the same period, she’d learned how poor and harsh the available treatments for brain tumours are, and how little money is spent on researching the biggest cause of cancer deaths in the under 40s. She decided she wanted to fund more research and chose OSCAR’s Paediatric Brain Tumour Charity. They provided our family with support, but also run a research arm where every penny donated will go to research.
And so we had to work out who we should ask, because we’d already leaned on all our friends, relatives, and neighbours for the first campaign! Kirsty suggested that the best people to ask would be other Kirstys because, in her experience, they’re always kind and lovely. So we looked up how many there are, because it’s a pretty rare name now in every country. But there was a time in the 1980s when lots of girls were named Kirsty or Kirstie. We reckon there are about 50,000 worldwide. The website www.mynameiskirsty.com was born.”
A plethora of Kirstys
Upworthy: Who are some of your favorite Kirsty(s) and from which countries?
Mat: “First on the map was Kirsty Gilmour, who is the UK’s no.1 badminton player; our Kirsty met her when she was a guest at the All England badminton championships, and the lovely Kirsty G offered to be the first Kirsty in her campaign. Second was a duck – the newborn sister to a therapy duck called Goldie that Kirsty met the following day!
Kirsty has now hit the first milestone of 1,000 Kirstys found, and exploring their photos and messages on the map is great fun. But equally rewarding are the words left by other supporters of every name. They’re united by their appreciation of the tough time kids with brain tumours are going through, and the need to improve the odds for thousands of children worldwide who face an uncertain future and life-changing symptoms and treatments.”
