A BASINGSTOKE mum has spoken of her gratitude after a stranger from the USA saved her daughter’s life after she was diagnosed with a rare type of leukaemia for the second time. 

Zara Kundra was first diagnosed with the disease in 2019 and again in March last year.

As well as facing intensive chemotherapy twice, the 11-year-old required a stem-cell transplant.

But with no living donor match available in the world, she received cells from an umbilical cord and placenta donated by a stranger in America.

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Despite dealing with a number of side effects, Zara has shown tremendous courage and received a Cancer Research UK for Children and Young People Star Award, in partnership with TK Maxx, for the bravery shown throughout her treatment.

Basingstoke Gazette: Zara Kundra, 11, from BasingstokeZara Kundra, 11, from Basingstoke (Image: Contriubted)

Zara’s mum, Taruna said: “I have never seen someone go through so much pain and show so much resilience. I wouldn’t have coped as well as she has and it’s incredible to think she has gone through everything twice. She is my hero.”

Taruna first noticed something wasn’t quite right when the family were living in Kuwait in October 2019.

Taruna said: “I noticed that Zara’s eyes were quite swollen and that lots of bruises had started to appear all over her body.

“When the doctor told me that Zara had acute myeloid leukaemia, I had the biggest shock of my life. I just had no idea it could be something so serious. I have no memory of the first 20 days of her treatment because I was in such a state of shock. 

“Because of the nature of her illness and how it was treated at the time in Kuwait, Zara had to remain an inpatient for several months which was hard for both Zara and my son. I stayed with her in hospital and didn’t see Sammy for months who was just five at the time.

Basingstoke Gazette: Zara Kundra, 11, from BasingstokeZara Kundra, 11, from Basingstoke (Image: Contriubted)

“We thought that the treatment had worked and we moved back to the UK in September 2021, but the following March, I started to notice the bruises again. The consultant called me and said they’d found something in her blood. I just burst into tears.

“I called the school as I needed to get Zara and tell her the news that she had relapsed. The teacher told her that I needed to collect her because I had forgotten an appointment, but Zara knew something was wrong because I never forget appointments.

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“With red puffy eyes, I told her that her cancer was back and she cried because she knew she would be facing more treatment and that it would mean losing her hair again.

“This time, Zara needed a stem cell transplant to eradicate the cancer but coming from South Asian origin, we couldn’t find a match for her anywhere in the world. Her only chance was to receive cells donated from the umbilical cord as cord blood doesn’t have to match closely to be successful.

“Thankfully, the Anthony Nolan Trust helped us to find suitable cells in America which were sent to the Royal Marsden Hospital. She received her transplant on June 16, 2022, and I will be forever grateful to the family who donated them."