Help save our son's life: Tipton family in donor plea

But the youngster is fighting a dangerous blood condition and his parents have sent out a plea for bone marrow to give him the chance to grow up.

Gurprit and Sunny Bains said their little boy Gaurav has always been poorly.

He was born prematurely, and struggled through his first winter.

Then last year the two-year-old started to suffer with chest infections.

Mrs Bains, who lives with her family on Alexandra Road in Tipton, said: "He would have chest infection after chest infection. Every time we finished a course of antibiotics and he would be better, the infection would return, and his breathing would be noisy.

"He was in and out of hospital all the time. It was quite worrying."

In March Gaurav was referred to Birmingham Children's Hospital, after a blood test revealed his white cell count was low.

Mrs Bains said: "We were talking about what it could be.

"We thought maybe he was resistant to the antibiotics.

"We went to the hospital and saw all these poorly children and their parents and were thinking how lucky we were.

"We did not realise it could be anything like this.

"We were in shock and couldn't take it in."

Doctors diagnosed Gaurav with the blood disorder Monosomy 7 which means he has more chance of developing an aggressive form of childhood leukaemia. His family have been told his chances of survival will be increased if he has a bone marrow transplant before he develops leukaemia.

The couple along with Gaurav's four-year-old sister Kiran have now all been tested to see if they are a match.

Mr Bains, who works in the family shop, said: "We are desperately hoping we are a match, because then we can get this process started.

"The better the match the more successful the transplant will be.

"But if not, we will have to go to the Anthony Nolan Trust bone marrow register to see if we can find someone to help Gaurav." The couple who are both aged 31 say it is more likely that

Kiran, who attends St Paul's Primary School, will be a match. If that is the case she will have to undergo a simple procedure to help her brother.

Mrs Bains said: "We are just in limbo at the moment, waiting to see, it is horrible. I also think about the gruelling process Gaurav will go through.

"If I think about it all, it is too much. I have to think about it at a stage at a time, and focus on the next thing we have to do."

If a match is found, Gaurav will have to undergo chemotherapy treatment before he can have the transplant.

Doctors have said that although this process will be tough, it will give him the best chance.

Mr and Mrs Bains are now calling on people to sign up to the bone marrow transplant list, in order to help children like Gaurav.

Mrs Bains said: "We just want to make people aware of the bone marrow transplant list.

"It is just a simple blood test, and you could really save a life. It is so important."

The couple are also calling on more Asian people to sign up, as the numbers are low.

They are more likely to be match for Asian children like Gaurav.

Mr Bains said they are doing all they can to raise awareness of the register and the Anthony Nolan Trust.

He will be running the Birmingham Half Marathon and the London marathon to raise funds.

To sponsor him go to http://uk.virgin moneygiving.com/GauravBains. For more information on the bone marrow register visit the website www.anthonynolan.org