Urgent appeal for A-positive blood as Afghan cricketer Shapoor Zadran fights a rare disease

NEW DELHI — Former Afghanistan pacer Shapoor Zadran, who is fighting for his life at a hospital in New Delhi is in urgent need of blood and Zadran's family has appealed A-positive blood donors to help the 30-year-old as he battles a rare with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare and life-threatening immune disorder.

Zadran, who played 44 ODIs and 36 T20Is for Afghanistan from 2009 to 2020, is currently in the intensive care unit (ICU) with stage four HLH. Under this condition, a person suffers from hyper-inflammation, which leads to damage in tissues, including the bone marrow, liver, spleen, and lymph nodes.

Zadran's younger brother, Ghamai Zadran, shared an emotional message on Instagram appealing to everyone to help the former player and donate the required blood, which will assist in recovery.

“My brother, national hero Shapoor Zadran, is currently in a concerning health condition,” Ghamai wrote. “With your prayers, we stand by our national hero. Due to a deficiency and urgent need, he is in critical need of blood”.

Shapoor first felt unwell in October last year and was advised to seek treatment in India. With support from Rashid Khan and Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) chairman Mirwais Ashraf, Shapoor’s visa was fast-tracked, and he was admitted to the hospital in New Delhi on January 18.

A bone marrow test in late March confirmed stage four HLH for Shapoor. "The doctor said we could drop in for the check-ups frequently. He (Shapoor) was feeling good for about 20 days before he got the infection again. Then we admitted him to the hospital," Ghamai told ESPNcricinfo.

"He started getting a fever, and then he tested positive for dengue. His immunity was very weak as the red blood cell count was severely depleted. He doesn't have much vitality. We have hope that he will improve day by day. The steroids Shapoor has been given recently seem to be working, and that has given us hope," added Ghamai.