Student designs chemo-friendly clothing for cancer patients in honor of mom

By Elizabeth Hunter

A student has designed cancer treatment-friendly clothing in honor of her mom's battle with leukemia.

Kirsty Blyth, 21, took inspiration from her mother's resilience during treatment to develop a new type of clothing for others going through the same ordeal.

The Edinburgh Napier University student has titled her project 'Thread of Hope,' and the concept involved a top which allows easy and discreet access to a Hickman line – a tube commonly used for medicine during chemotherapy.

Kirsty, from Broxburn in West Lothian, said her mom Lynne encouraged her to come up with the solution.

Kirsty said: “My mum had three different Hickman lines during her treatment because it kept getting budged about by clothing.

“When I was coming up with ideas for my final project, she suggested doing something about that.

“After speaking to her about it and others who’ve gone through similar procedures, they all said it was something they struggled with.”

Hickman lines are typically attached to a patient’s chest, just above the heart, with part of the tube staying outside the skin. Clinicians use it to administer medication and food, or to take blood samples.

As Lynne continued her treatment during 2024, Kirsty began looking into ways to make the experience more personal.

“The idea came when I was focusing on the emotional side of things,” Kirsty continued.

“My mum was given a piece of cloth that hangs round her neck to cover the line at first, so I thought about ways of making that better.

“I thought that instead, patients could fill out a form and get the jumper made for them when they have the Hickman line fitted.

“There are similar ideas for people who've gone through hair loss or a mastectomy during cancer treatment.

“I wanted it to be personal and went through so many design ideas – but I’m happy with what I’ve ended up with.

“Everything seems to get taken out of your control when you’re going through cancer treatment.

"I thought having a jumper like this could give some of that control back to the patient, while maintaining their dignity and comfort.”

Her working prototype and unique concept are on display at the university’s Degree Show.

The annual showcase for students from the School of Arts & Creative Industries gets underway with a launch event this on Thursday, May 29.

Kirsty’s mom will be among her proud family and friends visiting her display, which sits alongside work from the BDes Product Design programme.

She will also join coursemates in July who are taking their final projects to New Designers 2025, the annual London showcase of the UK’s most innovative emerging design talent, where she hopes Thread of Hope could be taken further.

“Working on a project that was so personal to me has been tough,” Kirsty added.

“But I’ve found it to be a helpful process. It helped us accept everything that was going on last year.

“It feels like such a relief to get to this point. I’m looking forward to showing it off.

“I’d love to see the idea go further, too.

"I’ve got friends in nursing who have told me they think it could make a difference.”