Florida girl who requires an extremely rare blood type to survive undergoes major milestone
ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - A Florida girl who requires an extremely rare blood type to survive has completed a potentially life-changing surgery.
OneBlood reported on Wednesday that three-year-old Zainab Mughal has completed the most complicated and exhausting part of her cancer treatment. On Monday, she underwent her second bone marrow transplant and received multiple blood transfusions.
It will still reportedly be several months before it is known if Zainab's cancer has been put into remission, but her doctors told OneBlood that she is a "superhero" and that they believe she is on the road to recovery.
Zainab still needs additional treatments, OneBlood said in their press release. It is likely that she will need additional blood transfusions as she enters the next phase of her treamtment.
To be a match for Zainab, OneBlood says the following must be met:
- Must be exclusively Pakistani, Indian or Iranian descent – meaning the donor’s birth parents are both 100% Pakistani, Indian or Iranian
- Must be blood type “O” or “A”
- All donations for Zainab must be coordinated with OneBlood in advance to ensure the additional compatibility testing is performed.
OneBlood has found only five compatible donors for Zainab so far. Two are from the United States, two from the United Kingdom, and one from Australia. The five donors have consistently donated each time that they are eligible. They have played a significant role in saving Zainab's life.
If you believe you can be a match or save this little girl’s life, head to OneBlood’s web page dedicated the search for Zainab’s rare blood type.