A student paramedic hopes other people will be inspired to become bone marrow donors after he saved the life of a woman who had the same rare cancer as his sister.

Ian Hurll, who works part-time as an emergency care assistant for the private BM Ambulance Service at Orbital Park, Ashford, says he was inspired to join the donor register at the age of 17 after losing his older sister Hannah when he was a toddler.

The 22-year-old, who moved from Wales to Kent to study at Canterbury Christ Church University, donated bone marrow from his hip last year to a stranger in Italy for a transplant, after it was discovered they were a match.

Talking about his family, Ian said: “Everyone was really excited that I had this opportunity, especially for the same type of leukemia.

“They all would have loved to have saved my sister.”

Ian’s sister Hannah died at the age of six, just days before Ian’s fourth birthday.

The little girl was prone to infections and had developed asthma, a common symptom of leukemia. She was eventually diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

The family were tested to see if they were a blood match to treat Hannah’s rare cancer but no one was successful.

Hannah was given a life-saving blood transfusion and chemotherapy, which was at first a success but the cancer returned, prompting the need for a bone marrow transplant. A suitable donor was found through the donor register.

Hannah had her transplant along with chemotherapy to weaken the immune system so not to reject transplant but the cancer returned due to rogue cells still in Hannah’s system, making the illness terminal.

The family were able to make precious memories in the time they had left thanks to the bone marrow transplant, including her taking part in a horse show-jumping competition.

Ian, who lives in Gillingham, joined the Welsh Bone Marrow register but says any register can help save lives around the world.

He said: “For me, it was a mixture of excitement and grief. It brought back memories of Hannah and I felt grateful to her donor.”

Talking about the procedure, Ian said: “It was absolutely fine for me. You’re generally first to go in because it’s such a quick operation.

“It’s not as painful as it’s made out to be. It does go away with just paracetamol.

“Forget about the rumours and the talk, just do it.”

For more information on how to become a donor, visit the NHS information site.