THE parents of Oscar Saxelby-Lee made a heartfelt appeal for blood donors after a shortage in Singapore left the five-year-old son waiting for a transfusion.

Oscar has travelled abroad with his parents, Olivia Saxelby and Jamie Lee, to receive CAR-T therapy - a specialist treatment they hope will combat his T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

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However, the family said doctors in Singapore have told them that since his transplant in May 2019, his bone marrow has taken a “battering” and has not been able to recover by itself.

The family made the appeal after hearing his blood count was low and he needed the latest transfusion to boost his system.

The platelets Oscar needed were subsequently found by the Singapore hospital but his family are still urging people to both donate and encourage others to do so as “this cannot happen again.”

The Hand in Hand for Oscar page, which updates Facebook followers on how he is progressing, said: “Please register with the Singapore Red Cross to donate blood and/or platelets. Oscar needs a transfusion and there is a shortage. Platelets can be frozen for up to one month.”

Oscar's parents say they have also been preparing for one of them to undergo a 'haploidentical transplant' where a relative who is not an exact match can donate their healthy cells to help Oscar's suppressed bone marrow.

The post said: "This has led us all to worry that little bit more as his marrow needs to work in order for cells to grow. The best solution for this is to transplant again if things don’t improve. But this time, it will be a haploidentical transplant from myself or Daddy.”

Oscar, from St John's, has been battling Leukaemia since he was first diagnosed in December 2018.