Asking for your Help / AB Negative Blood

[Joseph Hagarty, CMI]

Received this email this morning.


If you can help, contact me and I will provide the personal details
and direct contact information

Subject: Asking for your help

Everyone,
I apologize for using email for something like this but hopefully you'll understand.

My friend's 1 and a half year old son, Kieran, was diagnosed this week with a very aggressive form of leukemia called APML leukemia. He will be in CHOP for at least a month and then if his biopsy is OK, he'll be able to go home for outpatient treatments for 2 years. They expect him to be admitted to the hospital over the next 2 years because you can't keep a 1.5 year old with two other brothers from getting a cold/infection.

His platelets are an issue. Right now he has next to none and his blood type is the most rare in the US - AB negative.

CHOP has AB- blood but apparently blood is "tagged" for specific individuals, so it has been hard for CHOP to procure this rare blood type for Kieran. It isn't that CHOP/Phila has "zero" AB negative blood but rather none that Kieran was allowed to access this week (until a bit last night) because it was "tagged" for other people.

It is the rarest blood type in the US so obviously others are looking for it. We are being told conflicting stories about how to get blood "tagged" for any particular patient.

If you have or know of someone who has AB negative blood who would be willing to donate for Kieran, it would be appreciated beyond what words could convey.

Thanks.

[Curtis M. Vilt]

Joseph, I will ask around and we will keep him in our prayers.

[Frank Magdefrau]

Originally Posted by jhagarty

If you have or know of someone who has AB negative blood who would be willing to donate for Kieran, it would be appreciated beyond what words could convey.

Thanks.

You may wish to seek second opinions from as many sources has possible.

We did a study on this in college and we learned-

Generally speaking, persons with AB Negative Type Blood can
RECEIVE the following types of blood:

A Negative
B Negative
O Negative
AB Negative

Personally I would get that child to Memphis, TN http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index...001e0215acRCRD

They have saved all my friends kids who had really bad sicknesses. There are volunteers that will fly him and his family here and they will provide housing and everything. It is the most amazing place in the world.

[Joseph Hagarty, CMI]

My thought
is that anyone with a compatible type
can donate to the red cross and designate
that the blood be provided to a specific donor

I am type O
and donate Platelets weekly (every 7 days for platelets)
takes about 1.5 hours to do.

I will check monday to see if I am a compatible donor
and if I am able to designate a specific donor.

[David G. Lightner]

Joe, prayers sent.

[rsmith24]

I am O Negative and any and everyone in the world can use O Negative . Sadly i can only use O Negative. Let me know what i can do to help.

Though i am reluctant to give to the red cross. I was working on my gallon pin and they used to call me at home when they were low and have me come up there and the last time i did they took two bags. I ate my cookie and drank my oj and left. Driving home down I75 i sort of blacked out, pulled over and was resting my head on the steering wheel, after a couple of minutes i look up and in my rear view mirror i see a semi coming right at me. I must have been in the left lane and only pulled over into the right lane and parked. That woke me up right quick.

[Stephen W. Stanczyk]

Those with AB- blood can ONLY receive the following:

For Red Cells they can receive A-, B-, AB- or O-

For Whole Blood they can only receive AB-, thus the rarity.

For Plasma the can receive AB

There have been minor changes to the protocols over the years due to compatibility issues. I hope he does well.

[Joseph Hagarty, CMI]

Recieved this email yesterday.......
thanks for all the help....

From: xxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, February 18, 2011 12:02 PM
To: xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Kieran Update


I wanted to pass along that as of Wednesday Kieran is cancer-free. His treatments will continue for another five weeks so he isn’t out of the woods yet, but obviously this is a great step.

[Dominic J. Maricic]

That's awesome Joe! It's also great that you take the time to donate weekly. I really need to start doing that even though my bloods not as special as yours!

[Joseph A. Ferry]

Awesome news.

For the record, I have Irish blood: O'Negative.