Boy, 10, in desperate need of life-saving stem cell transplant

AaryanDinh-Ali a 10-year-old boy wholoves video games and the Toronto Blue Jays has been diagnosed witha bloodcondition so rareit strikes as few as two out of one million people every year worldwide.

Aaryan hasaplasticanemia. There is no cure, but a stem cell transplant could save his life. He just needs to find the right donor.

"He's a beautiful and intelligent boy and he doesn't deserve this,"his mother JennyDinhtold CBC News.

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Aaryan'sbody isn't producing blood cells, leaving him vulnerable to infection and uncontrolled bleeding.On Dec. 20, he suffered from internal hemorrhaging that sent him to TheHospital for Sick Children. He's been there since.

"They were able to stabilize him within 36 hours," Dinhsaid."So 36 hours of constant blood transfusions,constant steroids,constant care."

Aaryan told CBC News he just wants to go home.

His best chance is a stem cell transplant. But hisraregenetic heritage he has anAfghan father and Vietnamese mother makes finding a donor difficult.

"Each ancestral group has different genetic markers so,of course, when you have two parents who are from a different ancestry it makes it much more of a challenge,"DenaMercer, a spokeswoman forOneMatchstem cell and marrow network at Canadian Blood Services,told CBC News.

Seeking Middle Eastern, Asian donors

The Caledon boyhashuge support network of doctors, nurses, friends, familywho havelaunched a campaign to find a stem cell match to save his life.

They are targeting people with Middle Eastern and Asianethnicities,especiallyVietnamese,Afghan andCentral Asian.

"For every person that we can get to register,it's a chance for Aaryan or it's a chance for somebody else," Dinhsaid."It's a gift of life that any living human being could provide."

Registration drives have been held for Aaryan in Toronto, Vancouver and the United States. His family and friends have also made appeals through ethnic media.

"It's such a rare condition. As parents,we didn't know anything about this so we need to educate,we need to get this out there," Aaryan'sfather KhalidAli said.

Testing for possible donors involves asimple cheek swab. Anyonewho wants to be tested isencouraged to visit www.match4aary.comand register.Ali said the familyisgrateful toeveryone who has already come forward.

In the meantime, they havevowed tokeep fighting.

"We've made a promise to each other that he be strong for us and we be strong for him," Dihn said. "We're not going to break that promise."