SOMEWHERE in America there is a woman who has been given the chance of new life in the new millennium, thanks to Barnoldswick's Susan Pearson.

Susan, 33, of Meadow Way, started the year 2000 by giving the most precious gift of all - the gift of life.

She has just returned from London where she donated bone marrow for a potentially lifesaving transplant operation.

Mum-of-two Susan joined the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Register 12 years ago at a donor clinic organised by Barnoldswick and Earby Round Table.

Like most people on the national register - which matches donors with people in need of a lifesaving bone marrow transplant - Susan thought little more about it. But when the call came, she didn't falter, agreeing to go through with the medical procedure.

"I was a little apprehensive at first," she said. "I've never been in hospital before so it was all new to me.

"But early in December we travelled down to London for the weekend to meet the consultant at the London Clinic, where it would all be done. He was wonderful, explaining everything that would happen at each stage and what to expect. He really put my mind at ease."

After spending Christmas at home with husband Jeff and children Shari, nine, and Joel, five, Susan travelled down to the London Clinic on January 17, accompanied by Jeff.

The following day, a litre of her bone marrow was "harvested" under a general anaesthetic, then flown immediately to the USA where it will give a seriously ill patient a chance of life.

The next day, after a check-up to ensure she had made a full recovery from the procedure, Susan was well enough to make the journey home.

"It all went very well," she said. "They were wonderful at the hospital, really supportive, and I felt fine afterwards, just a bit sore and stiff."

Now Susan is thrilled that she has been able to give such crucial help to someone else, and at so little inconvenience to herself.

"At the end of the day it's the gift of life for somebody, and it's very hard to describe that feeling."

Her family is incredibly proud of Susan and glad to have her home again. She also thanked her employers, Windle and Bowker Chartered Accountants in Barnoldswick, who have been supportive throughout and given her the necessary time off work.

Susan hasn't been given the full identity of the person who received her bone marrow, only told that it was a woman in America. However, she will get progress reports on how the woman is doing and, if all goes well, the two might be able to meet at some time in the future.

The Anthony Nolan Trust was set up 25 years ago by Shirley Nolan in the vain attempt to find an unrelated donor for her son Anthony, who sadly died before a donor could be found. The charity relies solely on donations to raise the £7 million needed annually to support the donor register of nearly 300,000 volunteers, pay for transplant operations and carry out vital research into bone marrow related diseases.

The Bone Marrow Trust is always looking for prospective donors to join the register and volunteers should be aged between 18 and 40, in good health and prepared to donate their bone marrow if their tissue type should ever match that of a patient requiring a bone marrow transplant.

Anyone wanting further information about the lifesaving charity and its work can contact the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust on 0171 284 1234.

Meanwhile, the Trust is co-ordinating a national fundraising event on Saturday April 1 in a bid to "Speed the World Up!"

The fact is that planet Earth is slowing down. Clocks and watches throughout the world periodically need to have a Leap Second added as the earth slows down and years get fractionally longer.

However, all is not lost as boffins have calculated that if enough people run for just 100 metres from East to West, the planet's speed of rotation can be increased.

With that aim in mind, the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust has decided to co-ordinate a special one-off event, which will also raise desperately needed funds for the charity's work. The time and date have been set for 11am on Saturday April 1 and people across the UK are being asked to contact the charity for an information pack to find out how they can help. Anyone wanting to get involved should call 01423 879510 or e-mail speed@anthonynolan.com to receive an information pack, sponsor forms and a limited edition pin badge.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.