Boy with extremely rare mix of blood types saved by nationwide transfusion hunt

Every compatible unit of blood available nationwide was required to treat a nine-year-old boy with a rare mix of blood types, helping save him from a disorder that can prove life-threatening if unmanaged.

Qasim Rizwan, from Bolton, explained that he feels as though his "life has restarted" after recovering from autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA).

He has also visited specialists at the NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) national frozen blood bank in Liverpool who assisted in saving his life.

Qasim received his AIHA diagnosis in June last year, but doctors at Manchester Children’s Hospital initially faced difficulties matching his blood type.

NHSBT scientists determined that he possessed a rare mix, including r’r’, a subtype within the Rhesus system shared by approximately one in 10,000 individuals.

Only about 50 blood donors carry type r’r’.

Medical staff urgently defrosted and dispatched all six matching units from the national frozen blood bank, alongside an extra unit from a facility in Colindale.

One matching unit Qasim received was the exact same age as him, having been donated when he was merely eight days old.

A donor with the rare profile was specifically asked to give blood.

The transfusions were given alongside other medication, steroids and immunoglobulin to cure Qasim’s condition.

AIHA is a rare disorder, which impacts around 1,200 people in the UK each year and causes the immune system to mistakenly target and destroy red blood cells faster than the body can make them.

Symptoms include extreme tiredness, a rapid heartbeat and jaundice.

Qasim said: “I felt like I was going to die. I was really scared, hoping I would survive, and eventually I did.

“I really like the doctors, they helped me so much. They were so kind to me and they calmed me down if I was sad or angry.

“I feel like I have my daily routine and everything is back to normal. My life has restarted.

“I just feel unique and it’s quite amazing that I have rare blood.”

Qasim’s mother, Mahnaz Nazar, said her son “was a fit and healthy eight-year-old” before symptoms started.

The mental health support worker, 43, said: “Just a typical boisterous boy who loves sports, riding his bike, and he’s very sharp.

“It came on quite suddenly – he went from being healthy to waking up one morning with yellow eyes and skin.

“At the doctors, everything was going haywire. His heart rate was high and he was getting breathless just speaking – the doctors were surprised he was still walking.

“We were sent to Bolton Hospital. It took a week to figure out what was going on. It was terrifying because you don’t know what was going on, all you see is your child getting worse and worse. He was deteriorating in front of our eyes, getting yellower, and he could not tolerate noise or light.

“Then we were sent to Manchester Children’s Hospital.

“When they realised it was a blood issue, they were struggling to match his blood.

“They said they had some already stored in Liverpool, then after that was used, they said they had ran out and that they contacted someone who was a match and asked for a donation.

“It was quite daunting to watch him have a transfusion. He felt really well afterwards and perked up a lot. But the blood was breaking down so quickly the donated cells were gone in a few hours.”

Qasim spent around three weeks in hospital overall. He visited NHSBT’s frozen blood bank in August with his father Rizwan Ahmed, 46, and brother Yusuf.

“I really enjoyed looking around the blood centre and seeing everything,” Qasim said.

“I didn’t know everybody did this in the background.

“Most of the people in the building saved my life and they are still saving lives too. Thank you to all the donors for donating blood to me because I have rare blood.”

Ms Nazar has also since become a blood donor herself.

She said: “The team at Manchester were absolutely amazing. Qasim wanted to know every little detail – what would happen next, the size of the needle – and they were very patient with him.

“I am very grateful to all the scientists and specialists at NHSBT who found out his blood types then found enough blood to keep him going. He thoroughly enjoyed his meeting and getting to know how things work.

“And blood donors are amazing. I can’t thank them enough, without them, Qasim would probably not be here, he would not have survived, and we will be forever grateful for that.”

Joanne Mathews, manager of the NHSBT frozen blood bank, said: “We work behind the scenes and almost never meet patients, so we loved hosting Qasim and his family.

“He met a few people who worked on his case and they all had big smiles.

“Qasim was so curious and polite – and he looked so cute in an adult lab coat.”

Rachael Barber, paediatric intensive care consultant and medical director for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, said: “Stories like Qasim’s show just how vital blood donations are to us to enable us to care for children with rare blood types.”