For Fresno State student Kavon Momen, the most touching gestures don’t come from the heart but from the bone.

Momen, 23, was recently diagnosed with aplastic anemia, or bone marrow failure. According to the Mayo Clinic’s Web site, aplastic anemia causes bone marrow to stop producing new blood cells, including platelets and red and white blood cells. Risk of infection and uncontrolled bleeding are high. Momen is currently in a local intensive care unit recovering from a mild infection.

In Momen’s case, the prescribed treatment is a bone marrow transplant.

Celeste Pilegard, a friend of Momen’s, said close relatives are the best shot for a bone marrow match, but none of Momen’s family match his marrow. She is working to get word out about a bone marrow drive being held to find a match.

The drive will occur tomorrow, Dec. 4, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno. The center is located at 2111 East Nees Ave. in Fresno. A map to its location may be found on their Web site.

The drive will register people for the National Marrow Donor Program. A cheek swab or blood sample can be used to determine what sort of marrow the potential donor has. For more information about the event, visit its Facebook page.

Pilegard said that outside of family, the next-best chance for a match would be someone of similar ethnic descent.

Momen is half Iranian and half Mexican.

Even if a match is not found, those who attend will be placed into the program’s registry database for future reference.

The test costs $25.

Pilegard said that if Momen does not get a transplant, “the prognosis… isn’t good at all.”

“He’s on a waiting list, but he doesn’t have long to wait,” she said.

Momen is currently receiving blood transfusions, which place him at risk for iron build-up, and is on immune suppressants, which increase his already high risk of infection.