A TODDLER who battled blood cancer is now looking forward to a happy and healthy new year after being given the all clear by medics.

Two-year-old Tazmin Handley-Carpenter was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) on Wednesday, July 19 after her mother Laura Handley was alerted that her symptoms could be something more sinister than the youngster being "clumsy".

Miss Handley took Tazmin immediately to see her GP after reading the tragic story of 13-year-old James O'Mara, of Claines, who died of blood cancer in June, in the Worcester News.

He had no symptoms of illness until just days before his death.

Miss Handley, aged 29, of Tenbury Wells, and father Chris Carpenter, a wood machinist, noticed Tazmin had suffered a lot of bruising and tiny red spots on her skin(petechiae) since last Christmas, but she had no other symptoms.

Miss Handley, a mother of five, said: "If I had not read that article I wouldn't have taken her in until she was really ill. It's hard to think about it.

"I still tell people that I read about James."

She added: "If a parent thinks their child is not right - they should take them to the doctors and get a blood test. It is not worth risking it."

On July 8, after a bone marrow biopsy and a series of tests Tazmin was initially diagnosed with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a clinical syndrome where the immune system destroys platelets.

Just half-an-hour later they diagnosed myelodysplasia (pre-leukaemia) and 11-days later following further tests, doctors then diagnosed acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

She underwent a bone marrow transplant on Tuesday, October 24 after a donor that was a 10 out 10 match was found.

Tazmin got the all clear this month after medics said the treatment had been 100 per cent successful.

Tazmin underwent chemotherapy at Birmingham Children's Hospital and her condition has meant she spent her second birthday in hospital.

She is still being kept out of crowded areas to ensure her transplant remains successful.

The couple now want to raise awareness of the condition and hope to set up a charity.

Tazmin has four siblings, Tristan, aged one, Bethany, aged nine, and an older brother and sister.

To follow Tazmin's journey, go to Facebook page: Tazmin's Fight Against AML.

A fund-raising page has been set to help support the family. To make a donation, go to justgiving.com/crowdfunding/tazminsfight.