Donors needed for woman with very rare blood type
Kathryn Magann |
Amira’s blood type is so rare it’s found in only one in every 10,000 people, with a nationwide search under way to find a match so she can have much needed heart surgery.
The South Australian mother-of-two is in an Adelaide hospital waiting for her operation, with the Red Cross’ Lifeblood organisation launching an urgent appeal for donors to help the 38-year-old.
Lifeblood medical director Dr James Daly said since the appeal was launched on Thursday, donations in Adelaide jumped by 118 per cent.
“We have identified a few suitable donors, but this mum will require a large number of units to see her through her surgery and finding as many donors as we can with the right blood type will ensure we can meet her transfusion needs both now and, in the future,” he said.
He said so far three matches have been located, with another 15 donors needed to be found within the next few weeks.
“We’ve exhausted Australian supplies of this rare blood type and we’re now working with international blood services to search for potential donors,” he said.
The three current matches have been found in Queensland, South Australia and Victoria.
Amira’s husband Ahmed thanked people who have already come forward and urged people to donate, even if they don’t know their blood type.
“This is not a situation you ever expect to find yourself in. Any help or support is much appreciated,” he said.
Beyond commonly recognised blood groups such as A, B and O, there are more than 300 other variants ranging in rarity.
AAP
