A young Scots tot battling a rare form of cancer is to receive life-changing stem cell, from a US donor.
Adeline Davidson, 3, suffers from myelodysplasia, an extremely rare form of blood cancer that affects only one in 250,000 children.
Since her diagnosis, Adeline has been receiving weekly blood transfusions to keep her alive.
A female who lives in the United States has been identified as donor – and doctors have assessed as a 9/10 match.
Adeline's mum Stephanie, from Alness, Easter Ross welcomed the news of the match.
She said: “My mind was going crazy. All we know is that she is an American – we know nothing more than that. You hear stories about people meeting their donors.
"The most mind-blowing thing for me is that this person who we don’t know will pass on some of her DNA to Adeline."
“It’s good news but it does bring new anxieties. Our focus now is keeping Adeline away from bugs and infections. She needs to be healthy.”
Under existing regulations, Stephanie and Adeline's dad Jordan, will not be able to find out any more about the woman who could change their daughter’s life for at least two years after the transplant.
All being well Adeline, will be prepared for the transplant – which can help restore the body’s ability to make blood cells – next month and undergo the procedure in March.
Stephanie said: “The support has been amazing. The messages we have got have been lovely and kept us going. It shows you there are good people out there.
"A lot of people say I’m calm. It is what it is and you just need to keep a positive mind and be strong for her. Now it’s a waiting game.”
There was another surprise for Adeline when she was invited aboard the Maersk Resilient oil rig, one of the giant landmarks dotting Invergordon’s shoreline.
Crew members seeking a worthy local cause for money they wished to donate had asked around on shore and been pointed in the Davidsons’ direction.
As well as the invitation for a tour of the rig – capable of drilling to a depth of 30,000ft and sleeping 120 people – Adeline was given a £1,000 donation on behalf of crew members.
The delighted youngster, who may be the youngest ever guest to have boarded the rig, relished the jaunt in the company of her mum and granny Lorraine, whose has also championed her cause on a number of fronts.
Stephanie Davidson said: “It was brilliant, we got to see around the whole rig.”
When they handed over a £1000 cheque, the family – who face regular long overnight hospital trips to Glasgow – were bowled over.
“We were not expecting that much,” said Mrs Davidson, who is also mum to nine-month-old twins, Josie and Jude.
She is charting Adeline’s journey on the Instagram feed @adelinebluesjourney_x and says messages of support there mean the world to the family.
