A global hunt is under way to find rare blood that could save a toddler’s life

PA

A worldwide search is under way for some extremely rare blood which could help to save a two-year-old girl’s life.

Zainab Mughal, from Miami in Florida, has neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of cancer, which means she needs a series of blood transfusions.

But the search for donors is far more difficult than usual because she is missing an antigen, called Indian B, which most people have in their red blood cells.

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Help save Zainab! Visit the link in our bio for information. . Zainab is a two year old in South Florida with an aggressive form of cancer called neuroblastoma. . Her blood is extremely rare because she is missing a common antigen that most people carry on their red blood cells. The antigen is called “Indian B.” For a person to be a possible match for Zainab, they must also be missing the Indian B antigen, or the little girl’s body will reject the blood. . To be a match, a donor must meet the following criteria: . 1. Exclusively Pakistani, Indian or Iranian decent – meaning both parents are 100% Pakistani, Indian or Iranian. . 2. Must be blood type O or A . 3. Coordinate with OneBlood in advance to ensure the additional compatibility testing is performed. . If you meet this criteria please donate at your earliest convenience! . . . . . . #rareblood #blooddonor #blooddonation #blooddonor #blooddonors #donateblood #donatebloodsavelives #blooddonate #donatebloodsavelife #bloodtransfusion #bloodtransfusions #blooddonorsneeded #blooddonorssavelives #donatebloodtoday #donatebloodsavealife #donatebloodandsavelives #donatebloodnow #doubleredcells #wholeblood #wholeblooddonation #blooddrive #apositive #anegative #anegativebloodtype #shareyourpower #neuroblastoma #childhoodcancerawareness #neuroblastomaawareness #neuroblastomawarrior #opositive

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It means the search for donors is being confined to a very specific population – people whose two birth parents are both 100% of Pakistani, Indian or Iranian origin.

Even within that population, only 4% of people have the unusual genetic variation, according to OneBlood, the Florida-based charity that is leading the search.

On top of that, donors must have type O or A blood.

It is described by OneBlood as “some of the rarest blood in the world” – and neither of Zainab’s parents were found to be a match.

So far three donors have been found, including one in England, but doctors estimate they will need at least seven to 10 people continuing to contribute throughout the course of Zainab’s treatment.

Zainab on her birthday
Zainab on her birthday

Raheel Mughal, Zainab’s father, said: “It’s not enough, we need to find more… I encourage everybody to please go out and donate blood.

“It’s a humble request and I request it from my heart. My daughter’s life very much depends on the blood, so please donate the blood for my daughter.”

OneBlood is working with the American Rare Donor Programme in an attempt to find donors in the States and overseas, and will co-ordinate all donations anywhere in the world.

Anyone who thinks they meet the criteria is being encouraged to get in touch via OneBlood’s website.

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