A little boy who suffered from a rare blood disorder has died.

Ten-year-old Hamza Khan had aplastic anaemia and had been in hospital for five months battling for survival.

But yesterday at 10.30am, he lost his brave fight in St James's Hospital in Leeds after picking up an infection.

His father Mav Khan, of Heaton, Bradford, paid tribute to his son and said: "He could not fight it in the end."

A funeral for the Miriam Lord School pupil was held yesterday.

Hamza's condition, which was diagnosed at four, was a rare and extremely serious illness resulting from the failure of the bone marrow to produce blood cells.

It meant he couldn't do contact sports, go swimming or even ride a bike which sometime placed a strain on the youngster's life.

His condition deteriorated so much late last year that he spent much of his time confined to a hospital bed and frequently needed treatment in the intensive care department.

The illness left his body unable to fight infection and he needed platelet transfusions twice a week and a blood transfusion every three weeks. He also needed antibiotics to be given intravenously.

His best chance of survival was a bone marrow transplant but finding a suitable donor proved difficult because of a shortage of Asian donors.

The number of Asian donors on the bone marrow register is less than three per cent but matching is performed on tissue type and is an inherited characteristic, so ethnic origin is vital.

Hamza's fight for life inspired the community of Bradford to come forward to swell the number of Asian donors on the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow register.

A special clinic was held last July at Iqra Community Primary School in Drummond Road, in the hope it would provide a break-through.

Last month Mr Khan made a last-ditch appeal through the the Telegraph & Argus to persuade more people to come forward as potential donors.

Mr Khan yesterday thanked everyone who had helped in the battle to save his son's life.