The international drama of having a very rare blood type
Posted by staff / October 22, 2014
For most of us, finding enough blood for a surgery transfusion isn’t that much of an issue, much less one that involves complicated negotiations over several continents, but when you’re one of only forty people in the world with a particular type, things get a lot more complicated.
Meet “Thomas,” a man who many people can’t believe survived to enjoy a healthy adulthood with his exceedingly rare Rhnull
Since his blood can be given to anyone with a negative Rh blood type, Thomas could save countless lives. But if he ever needs blood himself, he can receive only Rhnull blood. If he donates a unit for himself, he has to permit it to be used by anyone else who might need it.
This leaves Thomas dependent on other Rhnull donors. But of the other 40-odd people known worldwide with Rhnull blood, only six or so besides Thomas are thought to donate. And they’re all a long way away: their locations include Brazil, Japan, China, the USA and Ireland.
Penny Bailey at Mosaic spoke to Thomas and others who have had to jump through extraordinary hoops that makes dealing with your insurance agency look like a cake walk just to secure blood and describes one of the amazing stories of how this “golden blood” was sought for the world over to save one seventy-year-old woman’s life.
The story is so incredible, you might just be tempted to go out and donate some of your own blood today.
Full story at Mosaic.
Graphics credit: Canva
Comments are off for this post.