MIAMI – A fourth rare blood donor has been found in the United Kingdom for a 2-year-old Miami girl who is battling cancer, OneBlood officials announced Wednesday.
According to a news release, the announcement comes a month after officials with the nonprofit announced it had identified three compatible donors for Zainab Mughal and was actively searching the world to find seven to 10 other donors to support the child’s long-term blood transfusion needs.
Zainab has neuroblastoma, a cancer that develops from immature nerve cells around the adrenal glands and most commonly affects children age 5 years or younger. She currently receives treatment at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood.
According to OneBlood, Zainab's blood is extremely rare because it is missing an antigen, called "Indian B," that most people commonly carry in their red blood cells.
A good donor for Zainab must also be missing the Indian B antigen, or the child's body would reject the blood.
Donors must be of South Asian descent, which means the donor's birth parents must both be 100 percent Pakistani, Indian or Iranian, and the blood donor must have Type A or Type O blood.
Click here to help Zainab find a donor.