The search is on for rare blood type needed to save Florida toddler's life

A 2-year-old girl from South Florida battling an aggressive form of cancer is in need of very rare blood, and possible donors are encouraged to come forward to get tested.

The girl, Zainab Mughal, has neuroblastoma, and she has to have both blood transfusions and bone marrow transplants. She has extremely rare blood, due to the fact that she is missing an antigen that most people have called "Indian B." The nonprofit blood center OneBlood is seeking donors for Mughal, and the search has gone global: in order to be a match, a donor's birth parents must both be 100 percent Pakistani, Indian, or Iranian, with type "A" or "O" blood. Donors must also be missing Indian B, or else Mughal's body will reject the blood.

Doctors estimate that of the potential donors, less than 4 percent are missing the Indian B antigen. As of Monday, 1,000 donors have been tested, and three matches have been discovered, including one in London. Additional donors have to be found, because doctors say Mughal will need blood transfusions for the foreseeable future. To find out more on how to get tested, visit OneBlood's website.

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