A mum-of-three with a rare blood cancer has been given hope after a stem cell donor match was found 3,000 miles away.

Brenda McKenzie, a 58-year-old mum from Islington, was diagnosed with cutaneous T-lymphoma (CTCL) in 2019.

The cancer has left her with visible swelling and red lumps on her face, meaning she experiences extreme pain in her day-to-day life.

Islington Gazette reported last summer that the blood disease had progressed from stage one to stage four, and that Brenda needed an urgent stem cell transplant to beat it.

The African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) has now confirmed that Brenda recently found her donor match in Saudi Arabia.

A spokesperson for the charity said: “As Brenda’s journey continues we wish her all the best and a speedy recovery.

“It has been a long journey for Brenda and we hope to create a future where no one has to wait for their perfect donor match.”

The ACLT described the belief that donating stem cells or blood might not be halal as a "misconception", and said that mosques often take part in registration drives.

The charity has urged people to sign up to be a donor on the stem cell register, especially those from a minority ethnic background.

It claims only 37 per cent of stem cell transplant recipients from these backgrounds receive the best stem cell donor match from an unrelated donor, compared to nearly 72pc for white people.