A man travels 300 km to donate blood to a child with a rare blood type

A blood donor from Chikkamagalur, Mahesh Kumar, traveled over 300 km to Dharwad to donate a unit of blood to a three-year-old boy with a rare Bombay blood group who was being treated for an inherited bleeding disorder at a private hospital. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A blood donor from Chikkamagaluru traveled over 300 km to Dharwad to donate a unit of blood to a three-year-old boy with a rare Bombay blood group who was being treated for an inherited bleeding disorder at a private hospital.

The child, Abhinandan, was in a critical condition after heavy bleeding caused his hemoglobin level to plummet. He urgently needed a compatible unit of blood. Finding a suitable donor was challenging because the Bombay blood type (hh phenotype), an extremely rare blood type, differs from the usual “ABO” blood types, including “O” positive and “O” negative.

People with this phenotype lack the ‘H’ antigen on their red blood cells and generally cannot receive normal ‘O’ blood; they require compatible blood, usually from another Bombay phenotype donor.

On the appeal of the child’s father, Mahantesh, the Swami Vivekananda Foundation of Blood Donors started a search for a suitable donor. Its founder Shivakumar Rattihalli contacted Mahesh Kumar, a rare blood donor from Chikkamagaluru, and explained the child’s condition.

Mr. Mahesh agreed to donate blood and traveled over five hours to SDM Hospital in Dharwad, where after completing the necessary procedures, he donated a unit of blood from the Bombay group to the child.

The incident highlighted the importance of coordination among rare blood donors, as patients with the Bombay phenotype require specially matched blood and generally cannot receive blood from regular ‘O’ donors.

Published – 17 Oct 2026 19:31 IST