When Dushyant Mehta was just two he gave his sister an extra five years of life by donating his bone marrow - now aged ten, he needs a match to save his own life.

Dushyant Mehta donated bone marrow to his older sister Devaanshi in 2007 and 2008, after she was diagnosed with bone marrow failure.

His donation gave her an extra five and a half years of life, but in 2010 Devaanshi's lungs collapsed and were left so badly damaged that she was told her illness was incurable.

She continued to organise fundraising events and to inspire Asian people to become donors as they are underrepresented on the Anthony Nolan register, but she died in June 2012 at the age of just 15.

Asian Image:

Only two years later, younger brother Dushyant developed a series of colds that he could not shake off and became increasingly breathless.

Recognising these symptoms as similar to those suffered by her daughter, his mother Kalyani Mehta contacted Great Ormond Street Hospital, which arranged tests.

Doctors found Dushyant is also suffering from bone marrow failure and will need a transplant.

As he is of Indian origin, it will make it more difficult to find him a suitable donor, so his family is appealing for more people to join the Anthony Nolan bone marrow donor register.

Mrs Mehta, of Manor Road, Harrow, said: “We desperately need a donor for Dushyant and we now know there is not currently anyone on any of the world’s registers who is a match for him. However, it is also really important to us to help other people who are looking for donors.

“The only thing we have is hope and more donors on the register mean more hope for all patients in need of a transplant.

“Signing up is about saving someone’s life. It is that important and it is particularly vital to encourage people from ethnic minority backgrounds to sign up.”

The charity is particularly keen that more people from Asian backgrounds sign up. Some 90 per cent of donations are now made through an outpatient procedure similar to giving blood.

Lynsey Dickson, regional register development manager for Anthony Nolan, added: “It is really important for more Indian people to join the Anthony Nolan register to help patients like Dushyant.

"People from ethnic minority backgrounds are currently underrepresented on our register. As a result, 60 per cent of all bone marrow transplant recipients receive a perfect match, but this drops dramatically to just 20 per cent for patients from ethnic minority backgrounds.”