A father-of-two desperately in need of a bone marrow transplant has found a perfect match following a heartfelt plea from his family.

Yevi Ilangakoon, from Whitstable, was diagnosed with myelofibrosis – a serious bone marrow disorder which disrupts the body’s normal production of blood cells – in 2009.

Last month, his son Yovaan made a desperate plea for people to join a donor register after his father’s condition deteriorated significantly.

They have since been told a 100% match has been found.

Yevi, 61, who lives in Mariner’s View, said: “It is the best news of the year.

“There was a slim chance of there being a perfect match and the other two options for treatment were a risk and would decrease my life expectancy.”

A date for Mr Ilangakoon’s treatment has not yet been set, but it is expected to be in June.

Yovaan said: “We as a family are overwhelmed by this news and words cannot express our relief and joy.

“We knew that for someone of dad’s ethnic background, a chance of finding a 100% match from a sibling or the worldwide registers was less than 20%. But we had faith that God would undertake and provide for dad.

“His consultant said ‘you have some luck’ but we know this is not luck but God’s grace and wonderful hand of providence.”

Myelofibrosis affects about one in every 100,000 people and can progress into leukaemia.

"We thank everyone for their support, registrations to be bone marrow donors, prayers and messages of encouragement" - Yovaan Ilangakoon

Yovaan, 29, who is a dentist, said: “We thank everyone for their support, registrations to be bone marrow donors, prayers and messages of encouragement.

“Please continue to pray that everything will run smoothly and that the donor will be fit and happy to donate stem cells to dad.

“We hope that everything will fit into the right time frame and that dad will have a successful transplant without complications and be completely healed.”

Originally from Sri Lanka, Mr Ilangakoon currently manages by using medication, but the only cure is the bone marrow transplant using stem cells.

His life expectancy is currently limited but all will change if the transplant is successful.

Yovaan says that the potential to save someone’s life is an easy step for all those wanting to help others.

He said: “If you ever become a match for a person who needs a stem cell transplant, donating your stem cells is as simple as donating blood.

“You sign up online and it takes less than two minutes, people will then be sent a kit via the post.

“All you have to do is swab the inside of your cheek with the cotton bud they send you and send it back to them in the pre-paid envelope. It’s that simple.”