Update on Kurt: Kiwi father getting life-saving treatment in the US waits on cell results

A terminally-ill New Zealand father undertaking a life-saving clinical trial in the US will be told in two weeks whether his cancer is likely to be cured.

Kurt Brunton, who is nearly 15,000km away from home, sent his latest video diary to the Herald yesterday before getting his final round of chemotherapy.

The 41-year-old Remuera software accountant was the second known New Zealander to partake in the groundbreaking immunotherapy CAR-T trial in one last fight to save his life.

He has been battling an aggressive form of blood cancer since January and had exhausted all possible treatments available in New Zealand.

Nearly a month ago, Brunton flew to Boston and was given the green light to go ahead with the trial. His immune cells - known as the T cells - were taken out of his body and sent to the lab to be genetically engineered into "killer cells".

In two weeks, the cells will be returned from the lab and if successful will be inserted back into Brunton's blood.

From there he will spend the next four to six weeks in hospital before returning to New Zealand, hopefully without cancer.

Brunton's wife, Janelle Brunton-Rennie, will be flying out of Auckland on Sunday to join her husband through the "most critical moments".

"It's a bitter sweet feeling, I'll be leaving my precious baby girl Sage to be with my beautiful husband," Brunton-Rennie told the

Herald.

Kurt Brunton, here with wife Janelle Brunton-Rennie and daughter Sage, about to face most critical moments. Photo / Dean Purcell

She said Brunton's mother went over with him and has been his fulltime carer.

"I think it will be nice for her to get a break as she hasn't really be able to leave the apartment since she got there and obviously I can't wait to be with Kurt."

The Givealittle page - created by family friend Emma Mildon to help fund the steep medical costs - has closed after raising $200,000.

The end goal was to raise $1.5 million as that was the "worst-case scenario" but luckily Brunton was able to get on the clinical trial rather than get the Federal Drug Agency approved CAR-T treatment called Yescarte which was far more expensive.

Brunton-Rennie said they were in a huge debt of gratitude and were humbled by all the New Zealanders who have shown their support.

"We breathed a huge sigh of relief when he was accepted on the far more affordable CAR-T trial, and the money raised is so hugely appreciated to contribute towards the US trial and treatment costs."

She said the costs continued to be "as long as a piece of string" and the amount was always changing but they would find the means to fund the rest.