You’re my lookalike lifesaver!

Donor Julie Merrilees, left, and cancer survivor Julie Rhoades. sister Lisa, 47, was ruled out as a donor as she has a different blood group.

“I knew my only hope was a stranger who by chance would match me,” she said.

“Doctors had managed to keep me going with treatment but as is the case with serious leukaemia, that can only work for so long.

“I knew I needed a matching donor to survive.

“Now, thanks to Julie, I can go back to work and see my grandchildren grow up.”

There is no scientific reason why two people with a matching tissue type should be similar, says cancer expert,

■