Woman with rare blood feels 'honoured' to donate

"It makes me feel very special and honoured, actually, that I could help someone that is really poorly. We know her name, and we will only let her blood go for patients with that exact type, because it is so rare. Units from people with rare blood like Stoddart-Stones are used for patients with the same rare blood who are having an operation or need regular transfusions because of disorders such as sickle cell disease."

"There are only nine donors in the UK with the same blood as the 26-year old, which is U negative and N negative, meaning she is missing the antigens found in almost 100% of people in the UK. Her blood is also RO, a rare and vital subtype often found in people with black African or Caribbean descent."

"That little little bit that I can do helping them as much as they've helped my family. Stoddart-Stones is on NHSBT's UK rare donor panel, which comprises about 0.01% of 800,000 blood donors, or about 1,200 people."

Mina Stoddart-Stones from Somerset has one of the rarest blood types in the UK: U negative and N negative, lacking antigens present in nearly 100% of the British population. Only nine donors nationwide share her blood type. She is also RO positive, another rare subtype common in people of black African or Caribbean descent. Her blood is frozen for up to 30 years and reserved exclusively for patients with matching rare blood types, particularly those with sickle cell disease or requiring surgery. Stoddart-Stones is part of NHSBT's rare donor panel, comprising approximately 1,200 people out of 800,000 blood donors. She donates to help others, motivated by her own childhood illness and her father's cancer treatment.

Read at www.bbc.com