DONATING PLASMA TO SAVE LIVES

In our continuing coverage of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Sarina Fazan speaks with COVID-19 survivor Zach Nicolaos and OneBlood employee Vivienne Ceesay about how they are coming together to make a difference.

24-year old Zach recently recovered from the coronavirus and is a first-time blood and plasma donor.  When a friend reached out asking Zach to help a loved one diagnosed with the coronavirus, he didn’t hesitate to donate. 

Zach says, “So when I saw the full bag of plasma, and being an individual that never donated blood before, it was definitely intriguing for me to see that and that’s going to go to the hospitals and the individuals that are in need of it. It was definitely a great sense of pride.”

That pride is shared by the OneBlood team collecting potentially life-saving convalescent plasma. Doctors say that the antibodies from recovered COVID-19 patients can help fight the disease in someone currently infected. 

Vivienne has been a OneBlood employee for 14 years, and Zach is her first convalescent plasma donor. She says, “Now I feel more important than before. My home office is closer to home but, because I’m doing this procedure today [with] the convalescent plasma, I drove 50 miles to come here.”

Vivienne is hoping to take many more convalescent plasma donations, and Zach hopes his story will inspire others to take action. He says, “I know a few other individuals that have come down with the coronavirus and have since recovered. I’m going to send them this way in terms of coming to OneBlood and donating.”

“It is going to save someone’s life,” Vivienne says.