Lifeblood Australia has launched an urgent appeal for blood donors to help a mother of two as she prepares to undergo open heart surgery.
It is expected that the 37-year-old will require 20 bags of blood before, during, and after the procedure, but due to her extremely rare blood type, this is proving to be a significant challenge.
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The sick mum – Amira – has a blood type that only occurs in one in 10,000 people.
In preparation for the life-saving surgery, Lifeblood Medical Director Dr. James Daly is calling on Australians to donate and see if they could be a potential 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 type might prove to be the perfect match.”
“We have identified a few suitable donors, but this mum will require a large number of units to see her through 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,” Dr. Daly continued.
Whilst a small number of suitable donors have already been identified, Amira requires significantly more blood than they can provide.
“We’ve exhausted Australian supplies of this rare blood type and we’re now working with international blood services to search for potential donors,” Dr Daly said.
“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.”
Amira’s husband Ahmed thanked the people who had already come forward to donate in the hopes 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,” Ahmed 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,” he added.
“This is not a situation you ever expect to find yourself in. Any help or support is much appreciated.”
To join the search book a donation via lifeblood.com.au, call 13 14 95, or download the Donate Blood app.
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