Mother's life or death plea for more bone marrow donors from BAME backgrounds to come forward

22-year-old May Brown from Weymouth is in remission from leukaemia. Credit: ITV West Country

A mother from Dorset appealing for more bone marrow donors from black and ethnic minority backgrounds to come forward, hoping it will save her life. >22-year-old May Brown from Weymouth is in remission from leukaemia. But doctors have told her it's likely to return, unless she has a bone marrow transplant. However it's proving more and more difficult as it's much harder to find a match for people from BAME backgrounds.

May's leukaemia is in remission after seven months of chemotherapy. But she says doctors found it difficult to treat and have told her it could come back unless she undergoes a transplant.

May's husband Michael Brown fears what will happen if it does come back. Credit: ITV West Country

May and her family say the last few months have been very hard. She's spent weeks in isolation in hospital, forcing her husband, Michael, to take unpaid leave from work.

May and her family say the last few months have been difficult. Credit: ITV West Country

THE FACTS>Acute Myeloid Leukaemia is an aggressive cancer of the blood. >If chemotherapy isn't fully successful a bone marrow or stem cell transplant may be needed. But it's harder to find a good donor match for people from BAME backgrounds because there are fewer people on the register.

Sarah Roger, from charity Anthony Nolan, says that despite having half a million people on their register, ethnic minorities are under represented. She and May say more need to come forward.

A perfect match had been found for May, but they withdrew before the transplant could take place. So this family is left waiting and hoping.