Turn a negative into a positive says plasma donor Amelia
“It’s nice to turn a negative situation into a positive one – I’m glad I’ve had Covid if it means I can help someone survive it.”
Those are the words of a woman who has donated her blood plasma after fighting off coronavirus – and has now urged others to do the same.
Amelia Gibson, from Great Wyrley, was told she was the first female blood plasma donor at the centre at Carillion House in Wolverhampton.
And now she is hoping her story will help to inspire other people to make the donation as part of a trial to help those who are seriously ill.
It sees convalescent plasma taken from the blood of survivors, containing the antibodies, which is transfused into patients fighting against the virus.
She said: “I donated at the Wolverhampton clinic and they told me I was the first female donor at the clinic – I was very surprised by that really.
“But it’s because you have to have different checks – different from donating blood – and it’s something to do with the hormones with women.
“It’s honestly a really good experience and I’m encouraging others to do the same. The staff there make you feel incredibly comfortable – and it doesn’t hurt at all.
“It’s fantastic and it’s fascinating how they do it. They take your blood out and then take the plasma out with a machine before they pump the blood back in.
“It’s simple – you go in initially, give a sample – to make sure you’re OK to do it – and then you go in and just do it. I’ll be going back in a few weeks when I can.”
Ms Gibson said she contracted Covid-19 back in October – but still is unsure where she caught it, due to washing her hands, wearing and mask and socially distancing.
It started with a cold and soon she realised something was wrong after she became unable to smell or taste, but she added she was “quite lucky” that she had it “quite mild”.
She agreed to be contacted by NHS officials after testing positive for the virus following a test – and was later contacted with an appointment to extract her antibodies.
The 30-year-old added: “I would absolutely go and donate. It’s for an incredible good cause and you might help someone in their fight with Covid-19.
“It’s painless and you’re in and out within an hour to an hour and a half.”
Donations are urgently needed so that if the trials confirm patient benefit, plasma can be made readily available for general use in the NHS.
If you’ve had confirmed coronavirus or the symptoms, you can volunteer today to donate plasma at nhsbt.nhs.uk or simply search online for ‘donate plasma’.
