Golden Blood - Rarest Blood In The World

The story goes as when there is a patient and the doctor decided to drive to France. If the blood was to be taken in Switzerland, they have to go through a very tedious process before being allowed to take a flight to France.

When a nurse who was assigned to take the patient's blood realized that the blood of the patient has very unique characteristics. Only after looking at the labels of the pack of blood that the nurse felt intrigued and thought that the man was supposed to pass away a long time ago.

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However, the man is known as Thomas whose identity had to be kept a secret just smiles and looks rather healthy. Not many have known the blood that flows in his unique body. In the period of 50 years, only 40 people have been known to have blood similar to Thomas's.

Shocking Discovery 40 Years Ago

We are all very aware of the advancement of technology in medicine which led to the high requirement of blood each day. Unfortunately, each one of us has different blood types but even then for every type of blood that existed, there is one similarity for each type.

In each of our red blood cells, there are 342 antigens which is a type of molecule that will encourage the production of antibodies. Every antigen in our blood will also determine the type of blood for each individual.

There are 160 types of antigens from the 342 which are usually found in each person with the rest of them having distinct differences. The content of the antigens in our blood will determine the uniqueness of our blood.

35 blood groups that have been identified using the information of the antigens will determine a person's blood class. If the person possesses a normal blood type, the majority of the 342 antigens that have been identified will refer to one of the blood classes.

40 years ago, Thomas who was 10 years old was rushed to the Geneva Hospital for a routine checkup. In the blood test that was conducted, the doctor found something strange on the contents of his blood in which there are no antigens in his blood.

This will mean that his body will not be able to produce any antibodies to fight against infection. Strangely enough, the patient did not show any signs or symptoms at all.

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After Thomas' blood sample was taken to the lab in Geneva, Amsterdam, and Paris, Thomas become one of the unique individuals who have the Rh Null blood group which is the blood that contains no antigen and cannot be classified.

History Of Rh Null Blood

Blood of this type was first discovered in 1961 in an Australian woman. Before the discovery, researchers have made an impossible conclusion that any fetus which possesses the Rh Null blood will grow healthy due to the non-existence of important functions in the body.

But after the first discovery until the appearance of Thomas, to this day there are 43 cases that have been recorded with similar blood types and only 10 of them can act as active donors.

What makes Thomas different compared to the rest of us? Their blood gives high risk to them but also has the potential to save millions of lives. This is because their blood is considered the most universal of all types of blood. Every blood receiver will need blood that does not have antigens which is the opposite of their original blood.

The process of matching the blood donor with the patient must be done with care since we do not want any blood rejection happening while the transfusion is in place. The Rh Null blood removes all risks involved due to its benefits that act as neutral by not possessing any sort of antigens that can increase the risk of rejection.

Universal Blood Save Lives

Thomas realized the uniqueness that is within him. His blood can save many lives but the same thing cannot be said about himself. This is because if he was to ever need blood then he can only receive it from Rh Null blood only.

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Rh Null individuals on the other hand who wished to donate lives very far away. They are in Brazil, Japan, China, the United States of America, and Ireland. This give a huge impact on Thomas' life and since he was young he was told not to be too brave and to avoid any unwanted accident.

He even drives carefully on the road and only visited countries that have modernized hospitals. A card stating his blood status is kept in his bag at all times in case he needs it. Thomas started to donate willingly when he was 18 years old.

All the blood that Thomas has donated is kept in a special blood bank in Paris and Amsterdam. Following any anemia that he might experience, he was advised to limit his blood donation to twice a year compared to 4 times a year.

Even though he needs to avoid any risky activities, Thomas is very grateful that he is different than other people. After he was assigned to report to the army many years ago, the doctor that found his condition wrote a letter to the army stating Thomas' true condition.

With that letter, Thomas was exempted from the army service which is important for safety of Thomas as his unique blood can save many potential lives out there.

Source:

• Mosaic

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