Lifeblood has launched an urgent nationwide search for blood donors to help a South Australian mother-of-two with a blood type so rare just one in 10,000 people may be a match.
37-year-old Amira is currently in an Adelaide hospital awaiting urgent open-heart surgery.
She is expected to need more than 20 bags of blood prior to, during, and after the procedure.
Lifeblood Medical Director Dr James Daly said any O or A blood donor in Australia or internationally could be a match.
“Most people will be either O or A blood type, but Amira has a rare combination of other blood types that need to be matched, which means any donor with O or A blood type might prove to be a perfect match,” he said.
“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 called on people in the community with O and A blood types to book a donation over the coming week.
All donated blood will be tested to identify donations that will undergo further screening to find a suitable match.
“We’ve exhausted Australian supplies of this rare blood type and we’re now working with international blood services to search for potential donors.
We hope to receive a small number of units from overseas but for Amira’s surgery to proceed safely at least 15 donors with the same rare combination of blood types are still needed within the next few weeks.
Her husband Ahmed thanked people who have already come forward to donate in the hope of being a match.
“We are so grateful to family, friends and the wonderful people in the community, many of whom we do not know, who have heard about Amira’s plight and have rolled up a sleeve to donate blood,” he said.
“I urge as many people as possible across the country with O and A blood to donate blood this week, so we can find more donors to help Amira.
“This is not a situation you ever expect to find yourself in. Any help or support is much appreciated.”
