The Cheltenham family are now considering treatment options outside of the NHS
Sarah Lumley Multimedia Reporter
06:00, 03 Sep 2026
Charlotte Surgenor and her husband Tom with daughter Maisie, two(Image: Tom Surgenor)
A mum from Cheltenham was diagnosed with a rare cancer after catching conjunctivitis – and has now run out of treatment options on the NHS just a year later.
Charlotte Surgenor, 30, has undergone two rounds of chemotherapy at Cheltenham General Hospital over a course of 36 weeks – but due to the lack of NHS research into the type of cancer she has, she has been told that there is nothing more the NHS can do for her at this time.
Charlotte and her husband Tom, 32, are now fundraising to pursue private medical treatment, and are faced with spending hundreds of thousands of pounds either on a course of drugs, or clinical trials overseas.
Despite the uncertainty around Charlotte’s future treatment options, the couple are determined to continue to “live life normally” for the sake of their daughter Maisie, aged two.
Tom questioned if the cancer would have been detected without Charlotte getting conjunctivitis, as this raised alarm bell that then led to scans.
Charlotte’s health troubles began towards the end of May 2025, when she caught conjunctivitis from Maisie. After contracting the common eye infection, Charlotte noticed that one of her eyelids remained droopy, and never fully reopened.
Tom said: “We went to various different pharmacies and eye places that gave her eye drops to treat it, but it didn’t clear. So we decided to go and see an eye specialist in Cheltenham, who told us that she thought Charlotte might have Horner syndrome.”
Horner syndrome is a neurological condition affecting the eye and surrounding area, typically on one side of the face. It is a sign of underlying nerve damage, and affects the sympathetic nerves connecting the brain to the eyeball, which control the movement of the eyelid.
Tom continued: “Charlotte was referred for a scan at Gloucester Royal Hospital at the end of June last year, and was kept in overnight for a biopsy.
“We then found out a week or so later that she had a growth in her throat and nasal area, and that it was cancer. It had also spread to her lung and her liver.
“It didn’t feel real. It never even crossed my mind that it could be that. She just seemed so young to be diagnosed, and she’s always been very fit and healthy, so there were no other real signs.”
The couple are now fundraising for private treatment options for Charlotte(Image: Tom Surgenor)
Charlotte was diagnosed with metastatic Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, a rare form of salivary gland cancer, for which there is currently no cure. It accounts for just one per cent of malignancies in the head and neck.
She began her first round of chemotherapy in August 2025 for 18 weeks, and then proceeded to undergo another round starting in April this year. But this weekend, Charlotte is booked in for a follow-up scan which Tom says will be her end-of-treatment scan.
He said: “Our NHS oncologist has said there are no further options available through the NHS, because there’s just a lack of research into this type of cancer.
“The tumour is still there, and it’s stayed roughly the same size despite two rounds of chemotherapy. The cancer has also progressed in her lung and her liver. We’re now looking into private oncologists to get a second opinion and find out what our options are.
“There is a drug called Enhertu, which focuses on certain characteristics of Charlotte’s cancer, but for just a three-week course it would be thousands of pounds. Or we could go to America for a clinical trial, but for a UK patient that can cost hundreds of thousands.”
The couple have set up a GoFundMe page to help prepare them for the next steps of Charlotte’s treatment – which has raised more than £16,000 so far.
Tom said: “We’re a bit in shock at how quickly it’s gone up. It’s amazing how generous people have been. We never really thought it was going to raise this much, but obviously we’re happy it has. We just want to be ready for whatever is next.”
Tom added that Charlotte is “fairly asymptomatic” now that she is no longer going through chemotherapy – and has even returned to work at telecommunications company, VoCoVo, where she works as a talent sourcer.
He said: “In day to day life she’s feeling quite good. With this type of cancer there aren’t really any physical signs that she has it, so we’re just trying to live life as normally as possible for our little girl, and just want everyone to treat us normally, still.”
You can donate to Charlotte’s fundraising page here.
And if you are in Cheltenham, you can attend a one night only fundraising event at Cheltenham Ladies College this Saturday, September 5, at 7.30pm, where a 10-piece classical soul band will put on a live concert accompanied by Cheltenham-born soul singer, RaRa.
Tickets are available now from the Cheltenham Ladies College website, starting from £16.25.