No one wants to talk about a dead child, Sheila Appiah says with unnerving calm as she stares into my eyes. Its any parents worst nightmare. I think it makes them frightened that it might happen to them, she explains, with a rueful smile.

People ask questions: How did she get the leukaemia? Did I not feed her the right food? Look, we had a healthy diet. We ate lots of fruits and vegetables. Imogin still got cancer.

We are drinking coffee in the cosy sitting room of the Croydon flat Appiah, now 47, moved into with her only child in 2004. In a telltale sign that this is a family home, the corner shelves display happy snaps of mother and daughter together: the bright eyes, high cheekbones and mischievous smiles mark a striking resemblance between the two.

More unusually, next to these are photos of Imogin with her doctors, Appiah with David Cameron, Imogin with Katie Price, and a handwritten note from the Duchess of York, addressed to Appiah, expressing sympathy at the loss of her daughter. The memories in this room are bittersweet: shortly after they settled into their first proper home, Imogin was diagnosed.

When we moved in, she was pretty feisty, running around, climbingup the sofa, wouldnt stay still, chatty, Appiah recalls with a laugh. Like any toddler, she would help with things; shed stand on a chair to wash plates. We were so, so close.

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'My daughter's death took me to the darkest place, but I've learned it's possible to come back' - Telegraph.co.uk