Four Donors in India Rescued a Man in Bangladesh with a Rare Blood Group. Now What Were You Saying About Borders? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Diagram showing the molecular structure of the ABO(H) antigen system. Image: Wikipedia
People say that the gift of blood is the gift of life. A 25-year-old man named Kamruzzaman from Dhaka was admitted to a hospital on May 21 after an accident. He needed blood transfusion for an urgent surgery to treat multiple fractures. Doctors soon discovered, however, that his blood group is the rare Bombay blood group. After a frantic search among 50 donors in Bangladesh, the Mumbai-based organization Think Foundation managed to collect blood from four donors in Mumbai: Swapna Sawant, Krishnanand Kori, Mehul Bhelekar, and Pravin Shinde. The blood was brought from India by one of Kamruzzaman's colleagues and used in a surgery that saved his life.
The Better India group shared this video:
Writing on Facebook, Rajesh Warna shared the following about the rare blood group:
In India, less than 400 people are known to have the Bombay blood group. Here's a list of details about this rare blood group:
1. This is an extremely rare ABO group, called so because it was first discovered among some people in Bombay (now Mumbai).
2. This blood group is not just restricted to East Indians but also found in Caucasians, Japanese, etc.
3. In Bombay blood group, the H antigen is absent. Therefore, A, B, AB and O blood groups, which are essentially manifestations of H, are completely unknown entities for persons with Bombay blood group.
4. It was discovered about 50 years ago at Parel’s KEM Hospital when a patient had come for treatment and developed reactions to O blood.
5. Bombay blood group individuals should never be transfused with blood from any other group.
Himadri Shekhar Nath said he thinks people need to demonstrate this kind of global community more often:
We badly need such type of borderless humanity that is expected for living a better life in this earth..
Thanks to save a life and an entire family from destroying…… these sweet examples always inspire us to do a better work for humanity.
Anirban Roy celebrated the donated blood as a species-affirming “gift”:
The four kind heart(s) sent their gift to save a life! Humanity still exists!
Samia Mohsin said the donors showed that people can't be divided in spirit:
আবার প্রমান হয়ে গেল মানুষ মানুষের জন্যে। যতই কাঁটা তারের বেড়া থাকুক না কেন আর যতই প্রোটকল থাকুক না কেন। সবার ওপরে মানুষ সত্য তাহার ওপরে নাই। যেখানে ধর্ম বর্ণ ভাষা সব তুচ্ছ হয়ে শুধু মানুষ কে ভালবাসার টানেই এমন কাজ করা যায়। আমি এই ১৬ কোটি মানুষের পক্ষ থেকে আপনাদের কে জানাই আমাদের আন্তরিক শুভেচ্ছা। আমাদের অনেকেরই জানা ছিল না, এমন বিরল গ্রুপের রক্ত মানুষের শরীরে বহমান। আপনারা বাংলাদেশের এক যুবক এর জন্যে যা করেছেন তা শুধুমাত্র ধন্যবাদ দিয়ে দায় শেষ হবার নয়। রক্তের ঋণ কক্ষনো ধন্যবাদ দিয়ে শেষ করা যায় না। সারা জীবন এই ঋণ মাথায় করে রাখতে হয়
It has been proven again that humans are for humans. No matter if you try to divide them with barbed wire at the border or alienate with protocols, humans are above all. Where love supersedes all religion, race and language differences. I salute you (four donors from India) on behalf of the 160 million Bangladeshis. We did not know that you possess this rare group of blood. What you did for this Bangladeshi man cannot be repaid with thanks only. You cannot repay blood debt with thanks only. The debt we will carry on forever.
According to latest reports, the operation on Kamruzzaman was successful and he is recuperating. His elder brother, Masud Alam, was reportedly surprised that blood of four people from another country could actually save his brother's life.