Mum-of-twins Meena Kumari-Sharma was a successful recruitment consultant and loved long weekends of trips to the zoo and cocktails with friends. But after Christmas last year she was diagnosed with leukaemia, and now urgently needs to find a stem cell donor.
Donor matches are never easy to find, and it's even harder for Asians so rather than sit back and wait, Meena began her own search.
Speaking to the BBC Meena said: "I just wanted to feel that if my children ask in the future, they can say, 'Mummy did everything that she could've done. She really tried everything.”
When Meena was diagnosed, she was happy in her home in St Albans, Hertfordshire. But she had to move to Leicester for treatment and leave her two five-year-olds behind with their dad. She video calls them as much as possible.
"Not even a year ago, everything was turned upside down. In all honesty, I didn't even know that adults got leukaemia. I'm the first person in my entire family to have got cancer," she says.
Faced with an uncertain future, Meena decided to devote her time to persuading as many people as possible to sign up to the stem cell register. Supported by blood cancer charity DKMS, she began touring the country, urging people to join up. A good match is most likely to be found in people with similar heritages, so Meena is focusing on Indian donors.
With her family in tow, she has set up donor drives in shopping centres, mosques, and temples.
"Last month I had to speak to 1,600 people at a classical concert. People were just crying in the audience. I think when they listen to somebody's story that is an actual patient, that is going through the process, that is a mother, that has twins, that is only 41 - that is an actual shock to the system," she says.
In nine weeks, she has signed 1,500 people up to the register as potential donors.
Earlier this week doctors told Meena she had two months left to find a match.
Before Meena started her campaign, she would tell people "just pray for me, send positive vibes".
And now I'm like, well actually, you can organise an event, you can spread the word, you can sign up."
Despite the stacked odds, Meena has found solace in her Match4Meena campaign.
"It's been really powerful to just get up, be brave, and speak to people. Before the campaign started, I was really feeling in despair about what the future holds. Even still today I don't know what's going to happen in six months' time. I don't know if I'm going to be here or not. Obviously that's hugely worrying, but the campaign has allowed me to let go of that negativity and let go of that unknown because this is something tangible that I can do. When I look back to when I was diagnosed, sitting in front of a consultant, that was horrendous. It was so dramatic. I don't know what will happen to me, but I might be able to save someone else's life and that is reward enough," she says.
If you are interested in registering as a potential stem cell donor please sign up through the Anthony Nolan Trust and DKMS websites.
