TWO years ago Nicola Coates' life was saved by someone who she had never met and whose name she did not know.

She was suffering from leukaemia and it was a bone marrow transplant from an unknown donor that put her back on the road to health and happiness.

Now that happiness is finally complete after she finally tracked down her saviour - thousands of miles across the Atlantic in Wisconsin, US.

She found that Scott Wittchow was an American journalist who joined a register of potential donors after his newspaper campaigned to help a sick young woman.

And yesterday he said he felt "blessed" that a match had been found for his marrow. "Finally finding out who she is and where she is from has truly been a most wonderful life experience," he said.

Nicola, 27, from Wheldrake, near York, has made a good recovery from leukaemia since undergoing her transplant.

Strict rules prevented her knowing the identity of the man who had given her the gift of life until after two years had elapsed.

But since the ban was lifted, she has been able to write to and email Scott to express her deep gratitude for his donation, and she hopes they may be able to meet up next year.

"I had been able to write to him before, but absolutely anonymously," she said.

"It was very emotional when I could put a name to the person."

Scott, a 51-year-old father-of-two, is now managing editor of Action Advertiser in Fond Du Lac, and he joined the National Marrow Donor Program in 1987 after writing a story for his former employer in Ripon, Wisconsin.

He said he would be honoured to meet Nicola one day as she seemed to be a special individual - "brave, friendly, committed and a member of a truly supporting family."