Wary of undergoing surgery, Bautista resumed her life as usual, but by 2020, her condition had deteriorated significantly. Extensive testing revealed that in addition to Bautista's blood type being the already relatively rare B+ – a group found in only about 9% of people – it also lacked the JK3 protein. This meant that she could only receive blood from donors who both matched her blood type and lacked that specific protein. “As soon as we discovered that Daina's blood lacked the JK3 protein – something that is exceptionally rare worldwide – we began our search for donors within the UAE and abroad. "For her life-saving surgery to take place, we would need at least six units of blood – a difficult feat given the rarity of this specific phenotype coupled with her uncommon blood type,” explains clinical pathologist and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s blood bank director Dr Manuel Algora.

Source: The Star June 11, 2021 00:00 UTC