Rourkela: A 32-day-old baby boy battling a critical health condition received a fresh lease of life after a man from Balangir district travelled to Bargarh at his own expense to donate a unit of the rare A2B+ blood group.The infant son of Alok Mahanand and Nilima Pai of Gyan village in Padampur area of Bargarh district was admitted in a critical condition and urgently required A2B+ blood for platelet support. Family members spent two days searching for a donor but were unable to find one because of the rarity of the blood group.Social worker Sanghamitra Patel then circulated an appeal on social media seeking an A2B+ donor. Though no suitable donor could be located in Bargarh district, the family learnt that Sudip Kumar Tripathy, a resident of High School Pada in Titlagarh and a clerk at Govt Boys’ High School, had the same blood group.After being contacted by the family, Tripathy immediately agreed to help. On Oct 6, he travelled from Titlagarh to Bargarh in his own vehicle and donated a unit of A2B+ blood at the district headquarters hospital. The timely donation helped meet the infant’s urgent medical requirement, and the baby’s health condition has since improved, said family members.Mahanand and his relatives expressed gratitude to Tripathy for responding to their appeal and coming to the child’s aid at a critical moment. “I am happy that I could donate blood for the 32-day-old baby. I am also very happy that his health condition is now improving,” said Tripathy.The gesture has drawn praise from local residents, who described his effort as an example of how voluntary blood donation could save lives, particularly in cases involving rare blood groups.
