The Anglican Bishop of Portsmouth is recovering well from his second bone marrow transplant in seven months.

Bishop Kenneth was given the transplant at Southampton General Hospital at the end of July in a bid to combat his leukaemia.

The bone marrow came from the same person who had donated it for his first transplant in December, which means that the chances of his body rejecting the donation are considerably reduced.

The bishop has been keeping in touch with what is happening in the diocese from his hospital bed. He may come home before the end of August, but doctors will have to assess his progress.

"I am receiving what is in effect a massive top-up of what is already 'me', rather than something else that won't easily recognise its new environment," said Kenneth before his transplant. "It therefore means that the recovery process, when I come home in August, is likely to be much quicker than last time, because I shall be given far fewer immune-suppressants. I am indeed fortunate to be in such capable and loving hands. So we'll see what the autumn will bring!"  

The bishop was originally diagnosed with leukaemia in September 2005. He was given four courses of chemotherapy and returned to work at Easter 2006. The leukaemia returned over the summer and he was given his first bone marrow transplant in December 2006.

He returned to work for a second time in May 2007, but a month later doctors diagnosed that the leukaemia had come back again. But they are confident that a second transplant could deal with the disease.