Two-year-old cancer patient Zainab Mughal needs a rare type of blood to help cure her, which has sparked a global search to find compatible matches, reports The Washington Post.
Here are five things to know:
1. Zainab was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in October. She'll need to undergo two bone marrow transplants, a series of blood transfusions and chemotherapy to shrink a tumor in her abdomen.
2. However, there is one big hurdle to Zainab's cancer treatment: She has an extremely rare blood mutation that makes it hard to find available donors. Zainab is part of a small percentage of people who produce antibodies to certain antigens, which prompts the body to reject blood donations, even if it's the right blood type.
3. OneBlood, a nonprofit blood center, is leading the search for compatible blood donors with the help of the American Rare Donor Program, which connects donors with patients worldwide.
4. So far, the organizations have found three compatible donors for Zainab. Two live in the U.S. and one lives in London. Up to 10 compatible donors may be needed to ensure Zainab can receive all necessary blood transfusions.
5. People of Pakistani, Indian or Iranian descent are most likely to be a match to Zainab's blood. More than 1,000 people from those groups have already donated blood to try to find matches for Zainab, according to The Washington Post. Zainab's family has also launched an awareness campaign with the help of OneBlood.
"It's a humble request, and I request it from my heart," Zainab's father, Raheel Mughal, said in a video produced by the organization. "My daughter's life very much depends on the blood."