MONDAY MOMENTS WITH MICHELLE – Plasma for Life

Welcome to Episode 3!

 

Today, I’m not going to talk about anything real estate related. I’m going to veer off the course and talk about something that is near and dear to my heart - Plasma Donation.

 

My story of plasma donation began in April of 2022 when I walked into Canadian Blood Services hoping to donate blood. Little did I know that the facility I entered at Orchard Park Mall in Kelowna is specifically a plasma collection centre. I thought, “Why not? I’m already here so I may as well go along for the ride”. And what a wonderful ride it has been!

 

WHAT IS PLASMA?

 

Plasma is one of the vital parts of your blood. It supports your immune system, helps control excessive bleeding, and helps other blood components circulate through the body; it is also responsible for transporting important antibodies. Plasma is rich in various proteins, hormones and nutrients that protect your body from illness as well as infection.

• More than half (55 per cent) of your blood is plasma.
• Plasma is used for transfusion. Plasma transfusions are often used in urgent situations to help treat conditions like liver failure, severe infection and excessive bleeding.
• The need for plasma is growing. There is a global shortage of immunoglobulins and the plasma needed to make them. That’s why Canadian Blood Services is opening new plasma donor centres and collecting more plasma.

 

WHAT IS PLASMA USED FOR? 

 

Plasma is an important part of blood. There are many different kinds of proteins found in plasma. Today, more than 20 of these proteins can be purified and prepared for use as a plasma protein product that is tailor-made for patients with specific needs.

 

An ever-increasing number of plasma protein and related products are being developed. Currently, there are three main categories used in patient care:

1. Immunoglobulin: helps patients living with primary and secondary immunodeficiency disorders, autoimmune disorders and neurological disorders, among other medical conditions.
2. Albumin:helps patients with liver disease, and patients being treated for shock and serious burns among other medical conditions.
3. Coagulation factors:helps patients living with congenital bleeding disorders, like hemophilia A and B and von Willebrand’s disease.

 

It is SO easy to donate Plasma! The donation procedure is very streamlined and the technicians are very friendly and professional. It is a fairly non-invasive procedure that consists of taking blood from your vein, extracting the plasma and then putting the blood back into you. I won’t go into all the gory details, though. It’s not really gory at all and I’m not at all a lover of needles and blood tests!

 

The reason that this is near and dear to me is because I have a couple of friends and relatives that rely on plasma to stay alive and maintain a normal semblance of life. There is a high demand in Canada for plasma and plasma products. There is a shortage so we import a lot of plasma from other countries. There are also no facilities in Canada to convert plasma into these vital products. From what I heard from the technicians at Canadian Blood Services, these facilities will soon be built in Canada.

 

The need for plasma is growing. There is a global shortage of immunoglobulins and the plasma needed to make them. That’s why Canadian Blood Services is opening new plasma donor centres and collecting more plasma. There is a greater demand for plasma than for pure blood.

 

Anyway, back to the “easy” part. The staff is really friendly and helpful. The procedure takes about an hour. This is an hour that you can check emails, watch TV, talk to the staff…When it’s all over, they give you a little bag of goodies to take with you; lemon bar or a brownie or cookies and a hard-boiled egg, a bottle of juice, chips. It’s unbelievable! And then you can do it all over again in as little as two weeks!

 

HOW TO DONATE PLASMA

Go to the website: https://www.blood.ca and click on the Plasma tab to learn more about the who, when, what, why, where and how.

 

Or:

 

Download the app: GiveBlood

 

Book your plasma donation today.

 

Like the ads say, “Blood – it’s in you to give”.

 

 

Feel free to reach out to me regarding this content or to suggest subjects you would like to learn about.

Definitely call me if you want exceptional real estate service!

Have a great week! Stay tuned for more content rich articles in the coming weeks!