Two units of blood are being flown from the United Kingdom for a mum urgently awaiting heart surgery, as the appeal for rare blood donors intensifies.
A fourth donor has been identified in Victoria by Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, but the search is far from over.
Lifeblood is opening appointments across the country and is urging anyone with O and A blood groups to come forward and donate in the hope of being a match for Amira Soliman, who has a very rare combination of blood types.
Director of Donor Relations Steven Eldridge said the response to the appeal so far had been incredible but compared the search for suitable donors to finding a needle in a haystack.
“Most people know about A and O blood groups, but within these main groups there are hundreds of varieties and Amira has a rare combination of them, with just one in 10,000 donations likely to be a match,” he said.
“Our teams are working around the clock to test donations and have so far identified four suitable donors. We’ve still got more than halfway to go to ensuring there is enough blood for Amira’s surgery to proceed.
“We’re pleased to confirm that two bags of blood are currently en route to Australia from the United Kingdom, and we’re working with other blood services overseas to search for potential donors.”
The appeal for Amira had an instant impact across Australia, with people responding in their droves by booking donations and turning up at Lifeblood donor centres. Between Thursday and Sunday appointments were up 14 per cent nationally and up 102 per cent in Amira’s home state of South Australia.
There was also an 80 per cent increase in people donating for the first time during that period.
Mr Eldridge said Lifeblood was incredibly grateful for the community’s response.
“We can’t thank the people who have donated enough and hope the goodwill continues as we search for more matches.
“All blood donations are appreciated because they go to patients in need. Lifeblood needs 33,000 donations each week to meet patient demand across Australia.”
