Calls on all those able to donate blood plasma to help keep others alive

Vox Pop

To all those who have donated blood and/or plasma, I’d like to say a huge “Thank You!”

Your donation has helped save many lives. Be proud of your time, thoughtfulness, kindness, and selflessness you have given and shown to others .

Plasma is the yellow liquid that composes around 55% of your blood . It’s made up of 1% salts, enzymes, and other components; 7% proteins, including antibodies that help fight infection; and 92% water. People with primary immunodeficiency (PI) lack or are completely missing important parts of their immune systems that help them fight off both viral and bacterial infections. PI people don’t make enough antibodies or don’t make them at all and never will. There are more than 400 different types of PI, and some are diagnosed as early as infants, and over 70% of those diagnosed with PI rely on plasma-derived therapies to keep them healthy.

Plasma is the source for many medications, including immunoglobulin (Ig) replacement therapy, which began being widely used around 1952. It’s used to treat rare, genetic, and chronic conditions and diseases such as PI and many other diseases. Plasma is also used to help treat hemophilia, traumatic blood loss, patients with burns/trauma, and certain types of cancer.

For PI patients, plasma-derived therapies are given from the time of diagnosis and continue through their entire life. It’s given in the form of infusions - either subcutaneous (under the skin) or intravenous (into the vein). These infusions happen anywhere from every 1-3 days to every 3-4 weeks and help by replacing the antibodies the body should be making itself, but can’t. Receiving this treatment can reduce the susceptibility to infections, optimize patient health, and improve their quality of life. This lifesaving treatment only provides temporary protection, and that is why the plasmaderived therapy needs to happen frequently.

Plasma donations are saving lives of those with PI and other chronic conditions. The people who rely on these lifesaving treatments are at the mercy of those who donate plasma.

Plasma is collected from 1 of 3 sources: 1. Can be collected from healthy donors who have been screened and are safe to donate at a plasma donation center, 2. Can be separated from whole blood donations and then collected, 3. Plasma can be collected from people who have recovered from a specific disease (while it ‘s collected the same way, this type of plasma helps fight the specific disease that the donor has recovered from).

The collected plasma can take up to 12 plus months until it is used in plasma-derived treatments. The journey from donor to treatment goes like: Step 1 - Healthy people donate plasma at a collection center. During the plasma donation process, the blood is taken, filtered through a machine to collect the plasma, then the remaining blood is returned to the donor.

Step 2 - The plasma goes through several phases of rigorous testing and screening to ensure quality.

Then between 10,000-50,000 plasma donations are placed in a large metal vat and the process continues. Viruses are removed or inactivated for safe production.

Step 3 - Lifesaving antibodies and proteins are extracted from the plasma. Our immune system needs a lot of antibodies to fight different infections and bacteria.

Step 4 - These ingredients are purified and sent to the pharmacies that distribute the medication to the patients.

Here’s how you can help You can donate! Donating plasma is an easy process. Find a plasma donation center near you: www.donatingplasma. org Encourage your friends and family to donate!

Stay informed about plasma donation and the conditions they treat (like PI)! Visit the Immune Deficiency Foundation (www.primaryimmune.org)tolearnmoreaboutPI. Mylg Source (www.MylgSource.com) to learn about immunoglobulin (Ig) therapies, and Plasma Hero (www.plasmahero.org) to learn more about plasma donation.

Plasma donors are lifesavers, saving the lives of those who rely on plasma around the world. “One in a Million” can be a lucky thing when talking about winning the lottery or being lucky enough to have someone save your life. In the case of donating plasma to save lives and improve other’s quality of life. I am one of the lucky winners in the PI community!

— Pat Schilling, Medford