A 2-year-old South Florida girl with cancer and in need of a very rare type of blood is finding the life-giving help she needs, according to officials with OneBlood.
Officials with the blood bank announced Wednesday that a fourth donor was found for Zainab, who has an extremely rare type of blood.
Zainab is missing a common antigen, Indian B, that most people carry in their red blood cells. For a donor to match, they must also be missing the Indian B antigen, organization officials said.
Over the last month, three additional donors were found with a match for Zainab, including two in the United States and two in the United Kingdom.
Although four donors have been found, officials with the nonprofit said they are still searching for more matching donors to ensure Zainab will have long-term support for her blood transfusion needs. OneBlood hopes to find at least three to six more donors.
OneBlood officials said the outpouring of support for Zainab has been unprecedented and her story has helped raises awareness for the need of a diverse blood supply.
Since bringing Zainab’s story to light, OneBlood said it has received more than 22,000 emails from people who potentially meet Zainab’s needs for a match.
More information on becoming a donor for Zainab can be found here.
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