Like most nine-year-old girls, Isabella Potter finds joy in the small, happy moments that make up childhood – in school, art and music.
But only months ago, her young life took a sudden and devastating turn, beginning with what seemed like nothing more than a blocked nose.
Isabella, a British citizen living in Hong Kong, initially complained to her parents, Matthew and Claire Potter, that she was unable to breathe properly due to a stuffy nose – an ailment that could not be cleared by a course of antibiotics.
The youngster was then thrust into a series of urgent medical exams after blood tests confirmed her white blood cell count was 10 times higher than normal and fears arose of something far more sinister.
Those fears were confirmed with a heartbreaking diagnosis for Isabella: an aggressive form of blood cancer known as Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).
And in a further blow, doctors discovered she has a rare, aggressive subtype of AML, complicating and limiting her treatment options.
What followed were gruelling rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant in a desperate effort to control the disease.
Hospitalised for more than seven months, Isabella endured a series of severe complications from the treatments, including anaphylaxis, pancreatitis, viral encephalitis, and graft-versus-host disease – a dangerous condition in which the body reacts against transplanted cells.
Last year, Isabella Potter (pictured) was diagnosed with an aggressive form of blood cancer known as Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
And despite her strict treatment regimen, Isabella’s family were later informed her cancer has a high relapse risk – leaving Mr and Mrs Potter urgently searching for further treatments to ensure her cancer is kept at bay.
Then came another challenge for the family – the most promising treatment available to Isabella is a drug currently only accessible in the United States.
Known as Revumenib – or Revuforj – it offers the best chance of remission when taken over two years. However, at a cost of around £20,000 per month to import to Hong Kong, it does not come cheaply.
Faced with these overwhelming circumstances, Mr and Mrs Potter are now trying to raise the £500,000 needed for the drug through GoFundMe to give their daughter the best possible chance of long-term recovery.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mr Potter, an architect, and Mrs Potter, who works in offshore law, described how a simple blocked nose turned Isabella’s world upside down – and stressed the urgent need to get the life-changing treatment to their daughter.
Mrs Potter said: ‘For sufferers of Acute Myeloid Leukemia and in particular, for those with genetic mutations like Isabella that make the disease trickier to treat, there is a new type of drug called a menin inhibitor.
‘The one that we are looking at is called Revumenib – it works by interrupting a certain protein infusion with leukemic cells, killing them.
‘It received FDA approval in the US not long ago, and there are clinical trials going on around the world at the moment involving it.
The most promising treatment available to Isabella (pictured) is a drug currently only accessible in the United States
‘However, Isabella is not eligible for those clinical trials; it is limited to relapse cases or those with refractory AML – patients that fail to achieve remission after initial treatment.’
Mr Potter added that no hospitals in Hong Kong, where the family has lived since 2015, are currently conducting trials for the drug.
However, he said doctors at Hong Kong Children’s Hospital, where Isabella has been receiving treatment, recommended the drug to the family given its high success rate.
He said: ‘Isabella’s doctors said Revumenib has an amazing reputation, but that they would have to import it, which requires various other procedures.
‘They also said it is very expensive, and we said “Okay, how much?”
‘They said around 14,000 Hong Kong dollars per day – which is about one thousand pounds.’
Revumenib – sold under the brand name Revuforj – is an oral drug used to treat acute leukaemia in adults and children by slowing the growth of cancer cells.
It was approved in the US following clinical trials that showed successful remission rates in leukaemic patients; however, it is not yet readily available worldwide.
Isabella’s parents are in a race to raise the £500,000 needed to give their daughter (pictured) the best possible cancer treatment
As such, getting Revuforj to Isabella comes with a hefty price tag for her family. At cost of over £1,300 per day, one month’s worth of the drug comes in at a staggering £20,770.
And since the risk of relapse lowers in patients with Isabella’s condition after two years, her doctors have recommended she remain on the drug for at least 24 months – bringing the total cost to just under £500,000.
Isabella’s parents have since set up a GoFundMe page to raise the £500,000 needed for the treatment.
So far, they have raised just over £50,000 – enough to cover two months.
But her resolute parents are battling on with their fundraising drive, racing to give their daughter a true chance at long-term recovery.
Mr Potter said: ‘The drug is a real step forward in terms of the treatment of this type of leukaemia.
‘We have read everything we can about it and everything that we have heard is that it is really, really effective.
‘There is a real excitement and interest in the treatment, and that is why I think her doctors are so determined to get it to Hong Kong.
Outside of her illness, Isabella (pictured) has a range of interests in which she continues to thrive – including crafting
‘It is new, and it certainly does have very good initial results.’
Mrs Potter added: ‘This is absolutely something that we should be doing for Isabella to give her the best chances of long-term recovery.’
Isabella was diagnosed with blood cancer in August 2025 after her parents brought her to the GP with complaints of a blocked nose.
Mrs Potter said Isabella struggled to breathe and suffered persistent shortness of breath. Even after being prescribed antibiotics, her mother said she would improve temporarily, only for the congestion to return.
Blood tests were carried out to investigate what was happening and within hours the family’s worst fears were confirmed.
Mrs Potter said: ‘The blood test found that Isabella’s white blood cell count was over 10 times the normal level – the doctor deemed it to be at a critical level.
‘Her doctor then made an urgent referral for Isabella to Hong Kong Children’s Hospital, where she would be admitted the same night.
‘Isabella was admitted to hospital on the evening of August 20, 2025, and by the following day – her dad’s 50th birthday – we had confirmation of the diagnosis of leukaemia.’
The first sign of Isabella’s (pictured) cancer came when she struggled to breathe and suffered persistent shortness of breath
Isabella was immediately launched into a series of treatments following her diagnosis, including chemotherapy.
However, it was soon discovered that her particular variant of the disease had such rare genetic features that treatment options were significantly more complicated.
Mrs Potter said: ‘The nature of Isabella’s leukaemia is quite rare.
‘The doctors explained to us that Isabella is quite a complex case and that they did not have a protocol that she neatly fitted within for treatment.’
Doctors recommended Isabella undergo a bone marrow transplant in combination with chemotherapy as the best option for controlling the disease – although the transplant did not come without risks.
Mrs Potter said: ‘It was explained to us that a bone marrow transplant had a better outcome in terms of reducing the relapse risk, but the process itself is very invasive and can have a number of complications.
‘We were able to speak with medical professionals in the United States and they said very clearly – they were unequivocal – that if Isabella was based in the US, there would be no hesitation that she should proceed by way of a bone marrow transplant.
‘So in spite of the risks, we decided to go down the transplant route.’
Doctors recommended Isabella (pictured) undergo a bone marrow transplant in combination with chemotherapy as the best option for controlling the AML
The bone marrow transplant was performed on 15 January this year, following three rounds of chemotherapy.
However, Isabella suffered severe side effects of the procedure, resulting in a prolonged hospital stay until Easter.
Mr Potter said: ‘After the transplant, the thing we found particularly difficult is that you think you are turning a corner, and suddenly there is a problem waiting for you around the corner you weren’t aware of.
‘We were very nervous about the transplant, but it seemed to work, and Isabella started to feel a bit better. And then it went rather downhill from there.’
Following the transplant, Isabella developed graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) – a complication in which donor immune cells attack the patient’s body, commonly affecting the skin, gut and liver.
Mr Potter said the condition first surfaced when Isabella complained of itchy feet and a distressing burning sensation in her face.
He said: ‘After her face, the GVHD then affected her chest and seemed to slowly work its way down her body.
‘It was her legs that went red last.’
Following a bone marrow transplant, Isabella (pictured) developed graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) – a complication in which donor immune cells attack the patient’s body
Aespite the challenges of her rare cancer, Isabella (pictured) was finally well enough to be discharged from hospital on 3 April, after several months in hospital
Mrs Potter also explained that following the transplant, the body may generate infections internally, leaving Isabella vulnerable to further complications.
She said: ‘Then, in addition to that, there is also the risk of viral and bacterial infection.
‘Such infections can come from inside the body – there is not necessarily an external source there.
‘The bacteria that a healthy person has within their system and does not affect them can be very bad for someone with no immune system.
‘I would say from the get-go, Isabella has been dealing with the side effects of her treatment, and then GVHD and the complications and infections arising from that.’
However, despite the challenges of her rare cancer, Mr and Mrs Potter said Isabella has continued to show remarkable strength and positivity – and was finally well enough to be discharged from hospital on 3 April.
Mrs Potter said: ‘She is doing great at the moment.
‘She still has her Hickman line, which she will have for another two or three months, but compared to how she was feeling, she is great.
‘She continues to have regular hospital visits for tests and procedures but now sleeps at home in her own bed!’
And outside of her cancer treatment, Isabella has a range of interests in which she continues to thrive.
Mrs Potter said: ‘One of the hardest things for Isabella throughout all of this process is missing out on school and her friends – she loves school and science.
‘She is incredibly arty and loves everything to do with the natural world – snakes, reptiles and birds.
‘She is a very good singer, and she loves making things. She is very creative and likes to craft.’
