Despite an urgent appeal reaching thousands of people worldwide, a student’s life still hangs in the balance after failing to find a stem cell donor.

Vithiya Alphons from Walthamstow was given just two months to live after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukaemia, prompting a search for a suitable Asian cell donor.

Unable to find a perfect match, the 24-year-old had no choice but to risk a ‘flip of the coin’ transplant with her mother, Bavany Alphons, who has a 50 per cent match.

Vithiya desperately needs healthy stem cells to stave off the cancerous leukaemia which was not removed despite weeks of chemotherapy treatment.

Speaking ahead of yesterday’s (May 19) operation, the family said: “We would really like to thank each and every one who has been part of Vithiya's campaign to find donors.

“All your efforts and hard work means so much to us along with all the love and support you guys have shown us over the past few very difficult months.

“We were really hoping to get a complete match but unfortunately as we couldn’t find one there was no other choice but to go ahead with her mother's half match cells, as this is the only option we have to save her life.

“We ask everyone to please keep her in your prayers.”

It was only days into her final year studying Optometry at Cardiff University that she found out the devastating diagnosis.

A blood test back in London confirmed she had acute myeloid leukaemia, a cancer of the blood, which lead to weeks of chemotherapy.

Further tests showed leukaemia had not been removed by the chemo and that she would relapse in under a year unless she had a stem cell transplant within two months.

After a Guardian report reached more than 150,000 readers the story gained worldwide media attention which encouraged thousands of people to sign up to donor registers.

Blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan searched the world’s donor registers to find a match for Vithiya but her Sri Lankan background significantly reduced her chances.

Statistics released by the charity revealed out of 133,367 people signed up to registers in 2015, only 0.6 per cent were of African descent, 1.9 per cent were African Caribbean and 0.5 per cent were East Asian.

The charity said the inequality in donors “drastically reduces the chances” of Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) patients “finding the best possible match”.

Currently, 69 per cent of patients with white northern European genetic heritage receive the best possible match, which drops to 20.5 per cent if you are from a BAME background.