Cancer patient Laura Nuttall given private jet to fly to Germany

A student with terminal brain cancer was offered a private jet so she could continue receiving experimental therapy in Germany despite the coronavirus travel restrictions.

Laura Nuttall, 20, of Barrowford, Lancashire, was offered the plane after making a "desperate plea" online.

Her mother Nicola said the gesture from financial firm Greensill had been "almost too good to be true".

The company has been contacted for comment by the BBC.

Ms Nuttall said her German doctors had told her it was "critical" her treatment continued during the Covid-19 outbreak, despite the extra risks associated with her having a lowered immune system.

But the usual flights she used to get to Dusseldorf "disappeared" due to the lockdown restrictions.

"So it was a desperate plea," said her mother. "And so many people did get in touch, offering stop-over points if we were driving or coming up with different suggestions.

"But then Greensill got in touch and said [they] could solve the problem. It was almost too good to be true."

She said the flight, which included "Jammie Dodgers on the way out", meant her daughter arrived without being tired from the journey.

She said she believed it meant the therapy was particularly effective.

"The treatment went better than ever, probably due to the journey and how easy it was to get across."

Laura was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme after a routine eye test in 2018 and was later found to have eight tumours, which led to her leaving the University of Manchester and concentrating on completing her bucket list.

However, following a combination of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and the experimental immunotherapy - which is not offered on the NHS - she has only one possible tumour remaining.

Her remarkable recovery has led to her returning to her university course, something which she said she never thought would happen.

"I wasn't expecting to be this healthy at this point," she said.

"I think the combination of all [my treatments] has managed to do the impossible and make me well and able to do things, when I didn't think this was possible."

Her mother said she was not sure how they would return to Germany for her daughter's final round of treatment in May, but she was "hoping things will be a bit simpler by then".

However, she said the financial firm's decision to lend them the jet was "such a completely selfless thing to do," adding: "We're so incredibly grateful."