THE mum of a brave Lochgelly tot says that their daughter finally having a potentially life-saving transplant on Friday is the best Christmas present they could ever wish for.

Little Ava Stark, the three-year-old whose happy smile hid her serious illness, successfully had the stem-cell procedure in Glasgow after mum Marie's desperate plea to find a hero for Ava paid off.

Without having a transplant that will allow her immune system to fight off infection, she is at higher risk of developing cancer or leukaemia.

A potential match had previously pulled out, but after a harrowing wait, the family were informed that two matching donors had been found and that the operation could go ahead.

That took place on Friday and as Ava recuperates in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Marie, 33, of Sunnyside Place, said: "It's not what you expect; you expect it to be a big deal, but it comes through a drip and Ava slept right through it. I thought it would be harder than it was; the bone marrow left Sheffield at 11.45am and arrived in Glasgow at 6pm, and by 6.56pm it was finished. We were all crying and more shocked, thinking, is that it?

"It is the best present ever because I didn't think it would ever happen. The doctors have said that she's doing amazing compared to other patients who have gone through this, and it's like having her back at home but with wires and machines around her! I took a picture of her to send to her brother and she did a trout pout, so she's just the same!"

Marie continued: "Nothing's really changed; her blood counts are still around the same and the doctors have said that the earliest we might notice any change is next week. In the middle of the night she's had a few pains but they've given her morphine. We'll maybe know within the next couple of weeks when she might get home but we have to wait and see; at the minute it's about making sure we keep her well".

The added bonus of Ava's successful transplant is that the appeal will help find matches for others who need a stem cell procedure.

"We got a message from a family in Suffolk who said they found a match after Ava's last appeal, and that they didn't think they would get a transplant if it wasn't for that. It's amazing," added Marie.