They were both involved in desperate - but ultimately successful - searches for bone marrow donors. And they have both made wonderful progress since undergoing marrow transplants last year at "Jimmy's."

Now Nicola Coates and Molly-Ann Barnett have got together at St James' Hospital in Leeds to officially open the refurbished bone marrow unit by cutting a ribbon.

Nicola, 26, of Wheldrake, near York, was the first patient to stay in the unit in March last year after it underwent the £120,000 upgrade, which included an increase from three to five cubicles, better patient and visitor facilities, a general re-decoration and tighter security measures to control infection.

Molly-Ann, from East Yorkshire, whose father Paul is managing director of Pocklington-based Viking Management Systems, underwent her transplant there last September.

Marrow matches for the two patients - who were both suffering from leukaemia - were found in America. Molly-Ann's mother Mandy appealed after yesterday's ceremony for greater efforts to be made in Britain to get more people on British registers of potential donors. She said Molly-Ann had just celebrated her seventh birthday with a big disco and was doing really well - "touch wood."

She said: "She went to school last week for the first time in 18 months. She loved it. We thought she had better start with a half-day because she would be shattered, but she was bouncing afterwards. It's fantastic."

Molly-Ann said she had been pleased to return to school.

"I missed my friends." She said other pupils had cheered when she walked into the classroom. "They said: 'Molly! Molly! Molly!"

Nicola, whose search for a suitable donor was backed by the Evening Press' Race For A Donor campaign, revealed that she too had enjoyed a recent boost when she was given the all-clear to drive again. Consultant paediatric heamatologist Dr Sally Kinsey said the refurbishment meant patients could be given a better quality of transplant in a more comfortable and attractive environment.

Updated: 11:55 Wednesday, May 02, 2001