It seems like we've been looking for a donor forever. I was at my wits' end when I approached the media for help in March. At that stage the Anthony Nolan Trust had instigated the search for a donor. I had been told that it's very difficult to find a donor. And that although there are 282,000 potential donors on the register, it was a one in 80,000 chance of finding a compatible donor.

I was surprised that people didn't know about the Trust. People were saying 'How do you do find out whether you're compatible?' All I could think was 'One of these people asking me could match India'.

I contacted the media because I wanted to let people know what was going on. I was so frightened India was going to die.

She was so ill at the time. To sit there looking at her, you would go out of your mind. You've got to do something. So I thought 'Here we go - let's get started.'

St James's said time was of the essence. She'd had high doses of chemotherapy in 1996, so I knew the less chemotherapy she had the better. I also knew that when they get children into remission the second time round it's usually shorter. The next time could only have been for six months.

The treatment of choice and the best choice was to find an unrelated donor. We had her own marrow from '96, but because she had relapsed, they thought she might have some leukaemia still in her blood.

We'd already had a lot of press interest when the Duchess got involved, but she really lifted the profile.

She's given me a lot of support. She rings every now and then to see how we are, and although she was planning to come up here, she's now asked if we would like to go down to Sunninghill.

When we got news of the donor she rang me from New York; within half an hour of me phoning her office she called.

She said 'I'm so excited. It's fantastic, fantastic news. I can't wait. I'm dying to get back and meet you. I send you all my love'.

From the very beginning she's always made it clear that if I needed to, I could ring her. She's been brilliant.

I'm sure she was disappointed when her blood didn't match because she wanted to help all she could. But she's been there, and she never fails to cheer me up. I think you feel the warmth from her and that really helps. She's a mother too, you see. I'm sure she can imagine what it would be like.

We're going down to Sunninghill on the train and a car will meet us. I'm sure she will be great.

I only realised how much support we've had from everyone when I sat down and wrote a list of people to ring when we got the news. I'm still only half way through it now.

When I got the call on Wednesday I knew that this was the week we were due to find out the results of the last three donors. It really was the eleventh hour because I had agreed with the hospital that we could not carry on looking after the end of June.

I'd convinced myself there wouldn't be a match. There were eight donors tested altogether, but the first five didn't match and that was a terrible blow.

When I finally got the call I could have fallen off the stairs. I think it must be akin to being told you've won the lottery.

When India goes in to St James's in August she will have high doses of chemotherapy, higher than before, and more than likely she'll have full-blown radiotherapy. There are an awful lot of side effects and even post-transplant she won't be out of the woods.

India has lost a lot of friends through this, and on a lot of occasions she's asked if she's going to die. I've said 'No way'. They say you should be honest, but no way - I'm not going to let her die.

I am very frightened. I really am. If she'd had her own marrow there would have been less serious risks involved. So I've very mixed emotions. But I'll just get my head down and get on with it.

She's such an inspiration. I'm her mother and she's an inspiration to me. The thought that makes me get through it is the thought that she will grow up and be leukaemia-free.

But I don't want people to forget the other children. Yesterday one of the mothers whose child is dying telephoned me. We never should forget that children are dying every day.

People must do all they can to help. After this I will certainly be speaking to people in high places about the bone marrow register.

I believe it should be like the blood register. We should all be tissue-typed and it should be a national register. I actually think it's disgraceful that it is all left to the Anthony Nolan Trust.

There were 10,000 new donors as a result of our campaign, but there's still a backlog of 5,000 waiting for the kits. That children should die waiting for a donor is hideous. It's bad enough if they die when they have been given the chance.

It has been known that donors back out at the last minute because of the enormity of it all, but I'm sure they won't, whoever they are.

I wish I knew, but it's probably better that I don't because I would squeeze them so tight they probably wouldn't recover from it.

One day hopefully we will meet and they will know what they have done. I feel quite certain we will do it now.

To find out more about the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust contact 01423 879510.

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