How plasma donations helped save the life of a plasma nurse
Plasma nurse, Jashanpreet Mangat knows firsthand how life-changing plasma donations can be—because she was a patient herself.
Many patients need plasma or plasma medications to treat conditions such as bleeding disorders, burns, and immunodeficiency.
Jashanpreet Mangat, a plasma nurse with Canadian Blood Services in Ontario, knows firsthand how crucial plasma donation is for the well-being of patients because she was a plasma recipient herself.
Canadian Blood Services is a not-for-profit charitable organization that is nationally responsible for a secure system of life essentials for transfusion and transplantation for patients in Canada (excluding Quebec). They are the connection between donors and patients when it comes to blood, plasma, stem cells, and organs and tissues.
"I was diagnosed with severe pancreatitis a few years ago, and when I first got very ill, my body started to shut down due to the fluid overload," explained Mangat. "Once I was assessed by the ICU team, they decided to give me plasma."
Mangat was hospitalized multiple times due to pancreatitis and received plasma transfusions and albumin (a protein found in plasma) as treatment. Mangat claimed that plasma donation helped save her life.
Nurse Jashanpreet Mangat is a plasma nurse with Canadian Blood Services in Ontario. (Jashanpreet Mangat/submitted)
"Each time I was getting either product because of a high fever or [because] my oxygen levels were dropping, so it was definitely life-changing for me," she explained. "My family is very grateful to anyone who donated at that time because, without these (plasma) products, I wouldn’t be here today."
Plasma donation is similar to blood donation, but the process has some key differences. Plasma is part of our blood but appears yellow; it carries all blood cells, red, white, and platelets, and is rich in proteins that protect your body from illness. These proteins can be used to create specific medications.
"When donating plasma, you do get your red blood cells returned to you, and we only take the yellow portion of your blood—which is plasma—which we can turn into medication later on," explained Mangat.
Thousands of patients in Canada with rare, life-threatening chronic and genetic conditions depend on these medications. For many patients, plasma medications are the only treatment available.
The plasma Canadian Blood Services collects goes to patients who need transfusions, as well as to fractionators for manufacturing specialized medicines needed by Canadians with conditions such as bleeding disorders, burns and immunodeficiency. (Getty Images/file photo)
One mother, who is very grateful for the generosity of plasma donors, is a consistent donor herself.
Tracy Kamino donates plasma every month in Brampton, Ont., alongside her fellow members of The Holland Christian Homes organization. For Kamino, plasma donation hits close to home.
"It’s very personal to me because my son [Tyler] is a recipient of plasma on a monthly basis. He receives anywhere from four to six bottles of plasma every month. He has a very rare auto-immune disease. His quality of life is dependent on this plasma," she said. "When his disease is active, you can see this helps to improve his quality of life; it makes the difference."
To meet the needs of patients across Canada, Canadian Blood Services currently collects 3,000 plasma donations each week, and the organization is working to collect even more plasma as the need for plasma medications continues to grow. The process for donating plasma is largely the same as that for blood donation. It includes registration, screening, donation, and post-donation care.
"Donors don’t just make a difference; they make all the difference in patients’ lives. We wouldn’t be able to make sure the hospitals have the supplies they need without the donors. We are grateful for all the donors, whether it’s your first donation or your thousandth donation," said Kristie Upton, Regional Program Manager at Canadian Blood Services.
To help others like Mangat and Kamino, Canadian Blood Services is looking for 100,000 new donors to join this year to help strengthen Canada’s lifeline.
"You can make a difference for someone like myself; it changes someone's life," Mangat added. "I was in a very critical state a few years ago, and without the donations, I wouldn’t be here today."
"We need donations; the more the merrier," Mangat continued. "There are also other ways to contribute, volunteer services, financial donations—anything would help."
Anyone who meets the eligibility criteria can donate plasma as frequently as every two weeks. To learn more about how you can contribute to Canada’s Lifeline, click here.
(Thumbnail credit: Getty Images/file photo)