Rare blood flown in from UK to donate to Aussie mum awaiting life-saving surgery

Aussie mum Amira Soliman has a rare combination “O” and “A” blood type, with fewer than one in 10,000 people thought to be a match.

Last week, 9News reported that the 37-year-old South Australian had all but “exhausted” options in Australia, concerning doctors who said time was running out for Soliman, currently in hospital awaiting the urgent procedure.

Since the call-out, three suitable donors had been identified in Australia – in Queensland, South Australia and Victoria – marking about a third of Soliman’s needs.

Now, with the next batch being flown in from the UK, Amira is about half way, but the “search is still far from over”.

Soliman will require a total of 20 bags of blood that will be distributed before, during and after her surgery.

Red Cross’ Director of Donor Relations Steven Eldridge said searching for suitable donors is akin 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 Red Crooss said the appeal for Soliman “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 Soliman’s home state of SA.

In addition, there was also an 80 per cent increase in people donating for the first time during that period.

“Our team has been working tirelessly to collect, process and test donations,” Eldridge said.

“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.”

A Lifeblood team, set up to support Soliman, now has more than 3,000 members.

To be a match for Soliman, a donor’s blood type must be “O” or “A”.

If a donor does not know their blood type, they should still donate to see if they are a possible match, Lifeblood says.