Qasim Rizwan, from Bolton, required every unit of rare blood available to him in the country after being diagnosed with autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA). Doctors initially struggled to match his blood type but scientists discovered he was a rare mix, including r’r’, a subtype of the Rhesus system that is shared by roughly one in 10,000 people. Only around 50 blood donors are type r’r’. Qasim, now 9, visited NHSBT’s national frozen blood bank in Liverpool in August with his father Rizwan Ahmed, 46, and brother Yusuf to thank staff for their help (NHSBT/PA)
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