THE plight of a Quinton schoolboy in a race against time for a bone marrow transplant touched so many hearts that the number of people stepping forward to be donors has soared.

Leukaemia sufferer Omar Al-Shaikh's only hope for life is to find a suitable person from his mixed heritage background with matching bone marrow to donate their stem cells for transplant.

And, since his life-or-death battle was highlighted by the News Group, the number of people from Birmingham and the Black Country signing up as possible donors with the Anthony Nolan register has been two and a half times the normal rate.

As Omar, who attends Four Dwellings Academy continues chemotherapy treatment, 368 people registered as donors this month - and almost half of them were from an ethnic minority background.

A spokesman for the Anthony Nolan charity said it was a "fantastic" response - although the new donors still need to be tested to find out if they could be suitable for Omar and it is still a needle in a haystack chance of finding the right match.

It was especially encouraging for the charity that 48.5 per cent of those coming forward were from a minority ethnic background, as normally only around 10 per cent had that heritage.

Omar's mother, Mirabela Al-Shaikh, aged 38, said: "It's lovely that so many people came forward. Omar's story obviously touched their hearts.

"Omar is a bit more optimistic - the more people that sign up the more chance for him.

"But even if it doesn't help him, we are pleased if it helps someone else who is waiting for a transplant.

"My son cannot live without this.

"I would give him my life - but unfortunately I cannot do that."

Omar had thought his battle with leukaemia was over after getting the "all clear" last October - but his joy was short-lived and he was told a few weeks ago that it had returned.

The Brierley Hill teenager, of Madison Avenue, was told if a donor was not found within three months his chances were slim - and the clock has now ticked down to two months.

For more information or to register as a donor, visit www.anthonynolan.org.