COURAGEOUS leukaemia sufferer Julia Hember has spoken for the first time about her 12-month battle against the disease.

Recovering at her home in Codford, near Warminster, the 33-year-old explained how the agonising treatment programme had left her feeling drained and revealed her worries about her fight back to full health.

Miss Hember, who was diagnosed with leukaemia a year ago on Monday, will have to wait until next month before she knows whether her stem cell transplant has been a success.

After suffering from tonsillitis, Julia became worried about her health when mysterious lumps appeared on her legs. After a series of tests, in consultation with a doctor who treated the son of ex-England player Gary Lineker, the former Stonar schoolgirl was given the bad news.

She said: "I was told that I had something which was very serious but curable.

"I couldn't take on the full implications of the disease straight away. It took a while for it to sink in but I was determined to overcome it from the start."

Because of the side effects of medication she has lost her hair, a couple of stone in weight and is finding it hard to eat again, but she is feeling positive.

"I still take it day by day, you never know what is a round the corner," said Miss Hember. "At the moment I feel exhausted all the time. The first 100 days after the transplant is crucial, I'm just over 54 days now so have to keep looking for symptoms of rejection."

After a frustrating wait, Julia had her life-saving operation at St Bartholo-mew's Hospital, London, on March 6. It was postponed before Christmas because she had pneumonia and dangerously high cancer levels meant it was postponed for a second time early in the New Year.

She said: "I was so disappointed when it was postponed because I had got myself mentally ready for it."

Hours of chemotherapy and radiotherapy brought on bouts of sickness but Julia pulled herself through in the knowledge that a donor was on standby.

She said: "The transplant itself was a non-event. I waited for the cells to turn up and a bag full of brown goo arrived. It was given to me intravenously and it took about half an hour.

"The time after the transplant was very unpleasant. My immune system was completely destroyed and the lining in my mouth just broke down."

Miss Hember still spends most of her time in London and has to have daily check-ups.

"Everybody has been absolutely fantastic," she said. "The doctors at Barts are second to none and my family has been brilliant."

Julia's family will continue to raise awareness of leukaemia and persuade people to join a blood donor register compiled by the Anthony Nolan Trust.

The Wiltshire Times set up the Save A Life appeal to attract volunteers, and staff from Virgin Mobile and Wiltshire County Council donated samples.