A man battling leukaemia has found a bone marrow match which could save his life.

Mike Wise, 21, from Hurstpierpoint, fell ill with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia - a particularly aggressive form of the illness - last year, just days after coming back from a holiday in Ibiza.

He was preparing to start a new job as a BT contracts manager after three years of training but that has now been put on hold.

His mother Katie, 47, said: "It all happened quite quickly. He had been feeling unwell before he went on holiday and had aching bones and had been to see his GP.

"It was when he came back you could really see there was a problem. He was always fit and healthy and used to go to the gym but then he had no energy and wasn't doing anything.

"He went for tests and was diagnosed and treatment started from there."

Mike has been having chemotherapy as an outpatient at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton but his mother was warned he would need a transplant and the hunt for a match began.

Mrs Wise, who has another son, Phillip, four, said: "We were going into panic mode because nothing was coming up on the register so we decided to hold a recruitment drive to try and get more people to sign up in the hope one of them would be a good match.

"Luckily the news then came through that a donor with a 90 per cent match was found.

"After going through what we have it brought it home to us just how important it is for people to go on the bone marrow register.

"Before Mike became ill it was something I had never really thought about. It is only when it happens to you directly that you realise.

"We are encouraging a lot of people to come forward. It does not take long and could save someone's life.

"We decided we would still do the event this weekend because every person who signs up may end up being able to help someone else.

"Mike was one of the lucky ones and we want to do what we can to help others in the same position we were in."

The session at Hurstpierpoint village centre in Trinity Road on Saturday (apr 14) has been organised in partnership with the Anthony Nolan Trust and doors are open from 11am to 4pm.

Spokeswoman Laura Meadowcroft said: "Mike's illness just heightens the message that this can happen to anyone.

"It is fantastic news that Mike has a donor but sadly 7,000 patients in the UK are still currently waiting for a potentially lifesaving bone marrow transplant.

"Without more donors on our register many patients will not be given the chance of life. You could be the one person to be able to give a patient that chance that they so desperately need."

To be eligible to join the register people must be aged 18 to 40, be in good health, weigh more than eight stone, not be severely overweight and be willing to donate to any patient you may ever match.

For more information visit the trust website www.anthonynolan.org.uk or call 0207 284 1234.