Inspirational Gaurav now back home

But now brave two-year-old Gaurav Bains is back home in the loving arms of his family – after becoming an inspiration to thousands.

Gaurav underwent the operation just before Christmas and has spent the weeks since locked away in his hospital room to give his immune system time to rebuild.

It has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs for the brave young patient and his family and they are over the moon that he is now back home in Tipton.

Parents Sunny and Gurprit took it in turns to stay at their son's bedside throughout his stay at Birmingham Children's Hospital.

Mr Bains, aged 31, said: "It's brilliant, he's back at home where he belongs.

"It is easier for the family also, going up and down to Birmingham Children's Hospital was fine, but it's always nicer to be at home."

Gaurav, from Alexandra Road, has left hospital almost 12 weeks after he was admitted, and 71 days after his stem cell transplant.

Had he not received the transplant, to treat an extremely rare condition called Monosomy 7 Syndrome, then it is likely he would have developed an aggressive form of childhood leukaemia.

It is the plight of Gaurav, and other children who also suffer from rare conditions, such as baby Margot Martini, that have highlighted the drastic need for bone marrow donors. Their stories have inspired thousands to support the campaign.

There are several registers in the UK, such as Anthony Nolan Trust and Delete Blood Cancer, which list all of those who could be potential matches for those in need – but when some are struck down with such serious conditions, those lists have proved to be desperately short. Like Gaurav, whose family fought to find a donor match by organising registration events across the country, 17-month-old Margot's hopes of finding a donor were pinned on getting more people to provide their DNA for the registers. Margot, whose mother is originally from Essington, was 14 months old when she was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer that doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital have seen just three times in the past decade.

Following registration events in her name, it is estimated that around 50,000 people signed up to be potential donors.

At the end of last month, she too underwent a transplant procedure and is now in hospital as the stem cells take effect. Her parents are facing an anxious wait to see if it has been a success.

For Gaurav, the chances of finding a match were slim due to his Asian heritage and the small number of Asian people on registers. No match was found among family members and his parents launched a campaign which, with the help of the Anthony Nolan Trust, eventually found a donor.

Thanks to the events arranged by his family there was a 1,200 per cent increase in the number of Asian donors signing up in September and October 2013, compared to the previous year. Although Gaurav is still not completely out of the woods, he is on the road to recovery.

And it is hoped that his recovery will speed up now he is back home.