Ever wonder what happens to lifesaving plasma after you’ve donated it?
“Many donors probably don’t think twice about what happens after they leave the donor centre, but personally I find what happens afterwards to be very interesting,” says Johanna Aguirre, Business Development Manager at Canadian Blood Services brand new Abbotsford plasma donor centre. “The journey from donor to recipient is an efficient but complex process that results in safe medications that are ready to help local patients and those across the country.”
Aguirre shared a behind-the-scenes look at what happens after you’ve made your plasma donation…
First things first: What is Blood Plasma?
Plasma is the protein-rich liquid in blood that helps other blood components circulate throughout your body. More than half (55 per cent) of your blood is plasma. It is rich in proteins that protect your body from illness, infection, and excessive bleeding, and it can be used for transfusion or to make medications, such as immunoglobulins.
Plasma donated in Abbotsford will be made into lifesaving medications to treat patients with immunodeficiency, autoimmune and neurological disorders, among other medical conditions — many have no other treatment option.
In only six steps your plasma donation becomes a lifesaving medication
- Collection: Plasma collection happens from either blood or plasma donors like you who meet a set of eligibility criteria – find it online here. DYK: If you’re able to donate blood, you should be able to donate plasma. In fact, some people who can’t donate blood can donate plasma.
- Testing: Plasma is blood-typed and checked for infections, like HIV and Hepatitis C, ensuring patients receive the safest product.
- Combining: Once tested, donations from thousands of donors are put together in large holding tanks in preparation for processing.
- Extracting: A separation process creates different fractions and individual proteins, like immunoglobulin. Each protein is kept separate and becomes the special ingredient needed to create various medications, each treating different illnesses and diseases.
- Purifying/retesting: These individual proteins are cleaned a second time using light, heat, filtration, and chemical treatments to ensure they’re safe, then retested a final time for infectious agents.
- Packaging: Purified plasma is then packaged, labelled and ready to be delivered to health centres for patients across the country!
Fun fact: Did you know plasma comes in a spectrum of colours? It can vary from a clear yellow colour to dark yellow, brown, orange and sometimes it’s even tinged with green!
Make a difference today
Donating plasma is a fantastic way to give back to your community and know with confidence that every donation is helping to save and improve lives across the country.
Donating plasma is a lot like donating blood. While you’re resting in a comfortable bed, a machine draws blood from your arm. The machine separates your blood out to collect the plasma and the rest of your blood is returned to you.
Donating this way means you can donate more often than blood donation. This is because the plasma portion of your blood replenishes within days. Some plasma donors can donate as often as once a week.
Plasma donation is a powerful way to make all the difference for patients in Canada. Book a plasma donation appointment to help patients in need. Download the GiveBlood app, call 1 888 2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283) or book now at blood.ca.
Becoming a plasma donor is just one of the ways you can make all the difference. You can also start today by making a financial donation, joining the stem cell registry, or volunteering. Learn more about all the ways you can support patients through Canada’s Lifeline at blood.ca.
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READ MORE: Challenge your school, family or business to help save lives this spring!