A MESSAGE asking for the donation of a rare type of Rh-negative blood went viral on many Shenzhen residents’ mobile phones Sunday as an expectant mother was in urgent need of the blood, and the hospital had run out of this type, Chinese-language media reported.

    Thanks to many residents who had spread the news and those who donated blood, the woman was out of danger by the time she gave birth to a newborn Sunday night.

    On Sunday morning, the expectant mother was preparing for delivery at Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital when nurses told the woman’s husband, identified by his family name Fang, that the hospital did not have enough Rh-negative AB blood, which is the expectant mother’s blood type.

    The husband said he suddenly lost his head and did not know what to do. He then pulled himself together and edited a message seeking help on his WeChat moments. Meanwhile, the hospital contacted the Shenzhen Blood Center and other blood-supplying institutes.

    With his friends and other WeChat users spreading the news, as well as the other institutes’ efforts, blood donors with this rare blood type gradually arrived at the hospital to offer help.

    It wasn’t until almost midnight when a nurse told Fang that they had enough of the rare blood in reserve to save his wife if an accident occurred during the delivery.

    To guarantee that there would be enough of the rare blood, the Shenzhen Blood Center has set up chat groups on social media and instant communication tools with a group of blood donors. This way, if residents or hospitals need a certain type of blood to save a patient’s life, the center can contact the potential donors first.

    An NGO was also founded in 2015 with the purpose of contacting people with rare blood types. Group members keep in touch in their daily life and ask for help when dangerous situations occur. (Zhang Qian)