Giving birth to her first daughter was the greatest moment of Kshama Chandan's life.
Turns out, it might also be the most important moment for a little girl she doesn't even know. Doctors discovered during delivery that Kshama has the Bombay Blood Type which is found in about one in every 4,000,000 people.
Meanwhile, across the country in Florida, doctors are searching the globe for an even more unusual blood type.
A 2-year-old girl named Zainab is battling an aggressive form of cancer which requires a blood transfusion from about seven total donors. The matching donor would need to be missing a specific antigen and have blood types O or A.
In addition to those requirements, the only people likely to be a match would exclusively be of Iranian, Indian or Pakistani descent and only four percent of those donors could possibly be a match.
"We started reading all this and we thought maybe I could be the match because it sounded very much like my kind of blood," Kshama said as she sat down to draw blood for the test. Kshama read about Zainab's story on Facebook and decided to contact the Vitalant Glendale Donor Center.
"I really don't like needles," she said with an obvious grimace on her face, but she knows the pain will be worth it.
"I do feel that connection, to know the fact she too has the rare blood," Kshama said.
Results should come back in 24-48 hours, but even if she isn't a perfect match for the toddler in Florida, Kshama's blood will be frozen in the rare blood bank to help someone in need.