It might be that there is just one magic person that is a match for Ibrahim

Asma Meer, Ibrahim's mother

For a successful transplant, doctors will need a donor whose marrow exactly matches Ibrahim's so that his body will not reject it.

His entire close family have been tested, but no match has been found.

A successful match is more likely to come from someone in Ibrahim's own community, but of the six million or so potential donors on registers around the world, only a tiny fraction are from the Asian community.

'We're desperate'

Asma Meer told the BBC: "His condition is life-threatening - and his chances of surviving without a bone marrow transplant are very low.

"We're quite desperate for a bone marrow donor to save his life."

Special Clinics aimed at ethnic minority communities

27th November - Leicester Pakistan Centre, Earl Howe Street (off Melbourne Rd) 3.30pm - 7pm 29th November - London Anson Rd Primary School, Anson Rd (off Chichelle Rd), Willesden 5pm - 8pm 4th December - London Private Bank Sports Grounds, Canadian Avenue, Catford 4pm - 7pm

She said that many people she had encountered suggested there might be religious reasons why people from some Asian communities could not become donors.

However, after consulting scholars, she said she could find no religion which prohibited it.

"There are a lot of myths about whether it is allowed or not," she said.

The family, in conjunction with the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust, have organised a series of clinics, two in London and one in Leicester, in a bid to attract more donors from the Asian communities.

As the sessions are being held during the Muslim holy period of Ramadan, there will be facilities for people to attend after breaking fast, and refreshments provided for people doing so.

"It might be that there is just one magic person that is a match for Ibrahim," said Asma.

"But if anybody's life is saved through all this it will have been worthwhile."

Becoming a bone marrow donor is simple - a blood test which takes five minutes is the first stage, and this can even be carried out at home, or at your local GP surgery.

Anyone interested in doing so can call the Anthony Nolan Trust on (0901) 8822234.