A little girl who had a pioneering bone marrow transplant almost 20 years ago has met the woman who saved her life.

In 1997 the Kent Messenger ran the story of Jasmine Langlay-Smith, who was four when her parents Alison and Graham realised she was seriously ill.

She was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and had less than a 3% chance of survival unless a bone marrow donor was found.

The family, from Frittenden, had an agonising five-month wait while the blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan searched for the right match.

Finally, after appeals in the newspaper, one was found and Jasmine had her operation in 1997.

Meeting her life-saver 48-year-old Kim Good, a pathology professor from London, was an emotional experience.

Now aged 24 and perfectly recovered, Jasmine recalls her diagnosis: “I was lethargic and bruising very easily.”

A minor bump on the head in a friend’s swimming pool gave the toddler severe bruising and led her parents to take her to hospital where a devastating diagnosis of cancer was delivered.

She began a long process of unsuccessful chemotherapy at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and then at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, before doctors suggested the bone marrow procedure.

Jasmine said: “I was the first person to successfully have a donor lymphocyte infusion, which is which is standard practice now.

“It’s quite remarkable knowing the ‘experimental’ treatment that helped me is now helping so many others and giving people a good fighting chance of beating leukaemia.”

Due to anonymity rules, patients and donors cannot learn each other’s identities for two years.

It wasn’t until Jasmine graduated from university that she started to wonder about the person who had saved her life. She contacted Anthony Nolan Trust, which had found the donor, to ask to be put in touch.

When they eventually met up, Mrs Good, a mum-of-four, told Jasmine: “It’s amazing to see how grown up you are!”

Jasmine said: ‘It’s hard to believe it’s been two decades since that time of my life and I’m so thankful to Kim and to the Anthony Nolan Trust.”

Both women urged more people to register as potential donors.

Mrs Good said: “Donating is such a nice thing to do, and it’s quite easy; for the rest of your life you have a warm glow and can think, someone is here because I did something.”

For information on how to register as a donor, visit www.anthonynolan.org