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Such a Special Values Day!
Hannah
Product Owner
On the 20th March I attended an event at the House of Commons hosted by NHS blood and transplant to raise awareness of the importance of plasma donation in the uk.
During the event I spoke with MPs about the importance of plasma for medicine and plasma donation in the uk. I would like to take this opportunity to also raise the awareness of this within Thrive Tribe and encourage the donation of both blood and plasma if you can!
Who does plasma help?
I attended the event as a patient representative of immunodeficiency UK. I have a rare condition, a type of primary immunodeficiency which means I do not produce my own antibodies and rely on medication derived from plasma. Before my diagnosis and treatment I spent a lot of time very poorly, my weekly infusions now provide me with the antibodies I need to live a normal life! 130 plasma donations will treat someone like me for 1 year.
There are also many other conditions that plasma can treat. Societi was another charity in attendance raising awareness of this medication for the treatment of Kawasaki disease, an illness which can be life threatening in young children and can cause lifelong heart issues.
Why have I never heard about donating plasma?
Historically we have relied on importing medication from other countries. The donation of plasma in the UK is a relatively new initiative, with only a couple of specific donation centres in the UK (Twickenham/ Reading/ Birmingham). Plasma is also now taken in small quantities from regular blood donations.
How can you help?
If you can, please consider donating blood or plasma. There is also an upcoming campaign ‘Plasma Donation Week’ w/c 22 April 2024. Please consider spreading awareness online during this time. Links for more resources.
A few other resources to help raise awareness of Blood Plasma donations and some of the conditions this helps are:
Posted on:
April 4, 2024 1:00 PM
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