A FATHER who feared he would never see his son marry after being diagnosed with leukaemia is preparing for one of the happiest days of his life.

Former Great Harwood policeman Mick Baines, 46, was diagnosed in 1997 and told he was unlikely to live for much more than five years.

In December, 2000, a global search of bone marrow donors found a match for Mick a one-in-a-million chance in America and he underwent potentially-lifesaving surgery.

Following one small setback 18 months later, Mick has now been told he has been in remission for more than four years.

And Mick, who now works at Asda in Grimshaw Park, Blackburn, is now preparing to watch his only son Andrew, 24, marry his long-time girlfriend Margaret later this year.

He said: "In 1997, when I was first diagnosed, I thought that I wouldn't live to see events like Andrew getting married. But it just shows what a difference it made having that one person who was a match for me, in America, placing herself on the donor list.

"Every day is a bonus for me now and although I will probably only get the overall all-clear 10 years after the transplant, the chances of it coming back are reducing all the time."

Mick, of Bolton Road, Abbey Village, was allowed to make contact with his donor three years after the operation.

She turned out to be an oncology nurse called Amy Raedeker, of Des Moines, Iowa.

And Mick, who worked for a spell at Express Gifts, Church, said: "If it hadn't been for her, I may not have had the transplant.

"I hear a lot of people saying I think I'll go on the register' but they never actually do it.

"I would like as many people as possible not to just think but actually to go and do it.

"For me, it has meant being able to see things like my son's wedding, hopefully."

Mick, a keen Preston North End fan, also celebrated his silver wedding anniversary last year.

The family have raised thousands over the last decade for the Anthony Nolan Trust, which operates Britain's bone marrow register.

Leukaemia is a cancer of white blood cells, which in turn are produced by the body's bone marrow.

An injection of healthy marrow enables healthy white blood cells to be produced, hopefully combat-ing the cancerous ones.

People interested in joining the bone marrow register should contact 0901 88 22 234 or they log on to www.anthonynolan.org.uk