Model, 39, whose ‘fairytale’ life was destroyed by cancer claims he has been denied NHS treatment over ‘little-known rule’
A famous model has been forced to raise tens of thousands of pounds for an operation in Germany after the NHS refused her cancer treatment.
Daniel Hettmann, 39, said his life was almost ‘like a fairy tale’ when he was approached by a model scout during a trip to Paris as a teenager.
During the first year of her career, she met Karl Lagerfeld, who saw her walk in catwalk shows for Chanel, Givenchy and Paul Smith, and appear in an Armani TV commercial.
But just five years later, things took an unexpected and tragic turn when 22-year-old Mr Hettmann was diagnosed with blood cancer.
The model began to recover following successful treatment, but unfortunately fell ill again after moving to London in 2017.
Mr. Hettmann was successfully treated and began to recover again.
But from 2024 he ‘kept getting sick’ and a blood test revealed that a form of blood cancer had returned.
She underwent a stem cell transplant, which initially appeared successful, but this October she heartbreakingly discovered the cancer had returned once again.
Daniel Hettmann (pictured), 39, said his life was almost ‘like a fairy tale’ when he was approached by a model scout during a trip to Paris in his youth.
Things took an unexpected and tragic turn when 22-year-old Mr. Hettmann was diagnosed with blood cancer.
Top model now works own Instagram account documenting her ‘journey’ with cancer
Mr Hettmann, originally from Germany, is not eligible for a second stem cell procedure on the NHS because of a little-known rule banning people with a recurrence of the disease within a year of their transplant from having another surgery free of charge at the point of use.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Karl Lagerfeld’s protégé said: ‘It’s been quite a roller-coaster ride.
‘I was told two weeks ago that the cancer had returned with a mutation.
‘Too much radiotherapy can actually cause cancer, so for someone with my medical background this was unlikely.
‘Cancer can often be caused by too many treatments in the past. It was so hard to find out he was back again after everything I’d been through.’
Asked how he felt when he found out the cancer had returned, Mr Hettmann said: ‘I think it was the first time I really felt anger. Until now I was just someone who said “okay, this is it”.
‘That’s why I never stopped working. ‘I’ve always taken the mentality of asking what the universe wants to tell me.’
Despite new feelings of confusion and disappointment, Mr. Hettmann Raising money on GoFundMeHe said he thought it was ‘important to try to make the most of every day you can’.
Asked how he felt after learning the cancer had returned, Mr Hettmann said: ‘I think it was the first time I really felt anger. Until now I was just someone who said “okay, this is it”.
Mr Hettmann said it was important for him to ‘progress one step at a time, day by day’ and that ‘it would do no good to make every day miserable’
The German-born model is now raising money GoFundMe paying for expensive surgery
The 39-year-old actress added that she had to fly to Saudi Arabia to organize a fashion week the day she learned that her cancer had returned.
He said: ‘For three days I was paralyzed on my sofa, not really wanting to talk and hoping to wake up from a bad dream.
‘But on Sunday I decided to hop on a plane and was there for 10 days; We produced all the shows.
‘A lot of people thought I was crazy, but we did it and it was amazing.’
Mr Hettmann said it was important for him to ‘progress step by step, day by day’ and that ‘making every day miserable will do no good’.
The fact that the new stem cell donor was his sister left Mr Hettmann feeling ‘very optimistic’, even though they were not a perfect transplant match.
German born model now Raising money on GoFundMe to pay for the expensive operation.
He said: ‘It’s not every day I wake up with a big smile. But it’s really important that my mind is in the right place.
‘I owe this to myself and my loved ones.’
