ON
ON OUR
ON OUR WEB SITE SEVERAL DAYS THIS WEEK. AND NOW THERE'S AN
OPPORTUNITY TO HELP
THE COMMUNITY KEEP THE TWO AND A
HALF MILE PATH GOING. A GOFUNDME
PAGE HAS BEEN SET UP TO RAISE
MONEY TO KEEP THE PATH GROOMED
ON THE RIVER FOR YEARS TO COME.
WE HAVE A LINK AND YOU CAN
REVISIT BOYD'S STORY AT
KARE 11 DOTCOM.
>> LOVE IT. WELL , AFTER
I RECOVERED FROM COVID ,
I WANTED TO DONATE PLASMA
TO HELP TREAT PEOPLE WITH SEVERE
CASES. BUT IT TURNS OUT SOME
WOMEN WHO'VE BEEN PREGNANT
DEVELOP AN ANTIBODY THAT CAN BE
HARMFUL TO PLASMA RECIPEIENTS.
AND IT TURNED OUT I WAS ONE
OF THOSE WOMEN, BUT LUCKILY
OUR OWN HRAPSKY WAS INTERESTED
IN DONATING AS WELL . TONIGHT
HE'LL SHOW US EXACTLY WHAT
IT'S LIKE TO GO THROUGH
THE PROCESS, EXPLAIN THE POWER
OF PLASMA AND INTRODUCE US TO A
MINNESOTA MAN WHO SAYS
HE WOULDN'T BE ALIVE WITHOUT IT.
>> GREG BODEN SPENT A CAREER
HELPING PATIENTS ON VENTILATORS
UNTIL LAST MARCH WHEN HE BECAME
ONE.
ONE.
ONE. >>
ONE. >> I
ONE. >> I WAS TAKING CARE OF MY
PATIENTS AS A RESPIRATORY
THERAPIST AND THERE WERE NOT
ENOUGH MASKS AVAILABLE. THERE
JUST WASN'T. SO I CAUGHT IT FROM
PATIENTS THAT I WAS SEEING
THAT DAY.
THAT DAY.
THAT DAY. >> IT WAS COVID-19 FOR 54 DAYS.
GREG WAS SEDATED ON A
VENTILATOR, NOW BREATHING
FOR HIM. HE HAD DOUBLE
PNEUMONIA, SURGERIES AND TWO
STROKES AFFECTING HIS VISION
AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION.
>> MY KIDS CRIED A LOT. THEY
DID. THEY HEARD MESSAGES. THEY
DON'T THINK HE'S GOING TO BE
WITH US ONE MORNING AS A LAST
EFFORT, DOCTORS GAVE HIM TWO
DOSES OF CONVALESCENT PLASMA,
WHICH IS A PORTION OF BLOOD FROM
SOMEONE WHO'D SURVIVED COVID AND
HAS ANTIBODIES FOR THE VIRUS.
THE FIRST DOSE, HE SAYS, DID
NOTHING.
NOTHING.
NOTHING. >> THE SECOND SAVED HIS LIFE WAS
ABSOLUTELY A MIRACLE. HE LEFT
THE ICU TO APPLAUSE IN JUNE
AND ARRIVED HOME IN JULY.
>> THANKS, GREG SAYS TO SOMEONE
ELSE'S BLOOD.
ELSE'S BLOOD. >> I THINK FOR ANYONE WHO HAS
GIVEN OR IS THINKING OF GIVING
HERE ACTUALLY LETTING ANOTHER
PERSON TO BE ABLE TO BE IN A
POSITION FOR THEIR BODY COULD
FIGHT FOR THEM AND SURVIVE
AND GET THROUGH IT.
>> AND THAT IS WHAT BRINGS US
HERE TO MEMORIAL BLOOD CENTERS
IN PLYMOUTH. WE'RE ONE OF THE
ONLY COVID FIGHTING TREATMENTS
IS EXTRACTED FROM COVIDWHO
SURVIVORS LIKE ME.
>> AND IT'S ALSO ABOUT THE 26
MILLION OTHER AMERICANS
AND 450000 PLUS MINNESOTANS WHO
SURVIVED COVID-19 LIKE SO MANY
OTHERS HAVE AFTER PASSING
A PRESCREENING AND TESTING
POSITIVE FOR COVID ANTIBODIES.
>> I SAT FOR ABOUT 45 MINUTES
DONATING PLASMA FOR ABOUT 45
MINUTES FOR YOUR PROCEDURE. YOU
HAVE TWENTY FIVE MINUTES WAHT
BLOOD COMES OUT, THE MACHINE
SEPARATES THE ANTIBODY RICH
PLASMA AND THEN PUTS
THE REMAINING BLOOD BACK INTO
YOUR ARM.
YOUR ARM.
YOUR ARM. >> WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE
NEW DONORS COME IN . MEDICAL
DIRECTOR DR. JED GALáN SAYS
THE PANDEMIC CRUSHED THEIR DONOR
SUPPLY AND IRONICALLY DONATING
PLASMA IS NOW A PRIMARY WAY
TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST
COVID . HOW MUCH MONEY IS SPENT
PER PLASMA LIKE THIS? WE USED
TO HAVE BLOOD DRIVES AT
HIGH SCHOOLS AND BUSINESSES
AND CHURCHES. WE CAN'T USE
OUR BUSSES. THERE'S NO WAY YOU
CAN KEEP SIX FEET APART IN A BUS
ON . AND SO WE'VE HAD MUCH LESS
ABILITY TO GET OUT INTO
THE COMMUNITY. WE NEED FOLKS
LIKE YOU TO COME INTO OUR SITE,
HE SAYS ANYONE WHO TESTED
POSITIVE FOR COVID COULD
POTENTIALLY BE A PLASMA
CANDIDATE BEGINNING A FEW WEEKS
AFTER THEIR SYMPTOMS HAVE GONE
AWAY. ONE DONATION COULD HELP UP
TO FOUR PEOPLE FOR A WHILE.
CONVELASCENT PLASMA WAS A BIT
OF A MYSTERY TREATMENT. IT
WORKED FOR SOME PATIENTS AND DID
NOTHING FOR OTHERS. A NEW MAYO
CLINIC STUDY JUST PUBLISHED
IN THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL
OF MEDICINE HELPS ANSWER THOSE
QUESTIONS SHOWING PLASMA
WITH HIGHER LEVELS OF ANTIBODIES
DID IN FACT SAVE LIVES BETTER
THAN LOWER ANTIBODY PLASMA.
>> WE THINK IT DOES OFFER
EVIDENCE THAT IT CAN REDUCE
MORTALITY IN THE RIGHT PATIENTS.
THAT IS THOSE WHO ARE NOT ON A
VENTILATOR AND THOSE WHO
ARE EARLY IN THEIR HOSPITALIZED
TIME COURSE.
TIME COURSE. >> MAYO CLINIC CARDIOLOGIST DR.
SCOTT WRIGHT SAYS HIS AND OTHER
RESEARCH LED TO THE FDA CHANGING
ITS EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION
OF CONVALESCENT PLASMA THIS
MONTH, SUGGESTING ONLY
THE HIGHEST ANTIBODY PLASMA BE
USED ON PATIENTS EARLY IN THEIR
DISEASE. AND EXPERTS WARN
THAT WITHOUT MORE DONORS, THIS
CHANGE COULD CREATE A REAL
SHORTAGE OF USABLE CONVELASCENT
PLASMA, WHICH IS ALL THE MORE
REASON TO DONATE.
>> IF THEY'RE ABLE TO GIVE, THEY
GO DIRECTLY INFLUENCE THE LIFE
OF ANOTHER PERSON WHO MAYBE
CANNOT DO IT ON THEIR OWN.
>> AND JULIE, ANOTHER QUESTION
PEOPLE ARE ASKING IS IF I HAD
THE VACCINE, CAN YOU DONATE YOUR
PLASMA? SURE, YOU CAN DONATE,
BUT YOUR PLASMA WON'T BE USED
TO HELP COVID PATIENTS BECAUSE
YOU HAVE ANTIBODIES FOR JUST ONE
PROTEIN, NOT THE WHOLE VIRUS.
>> ALL RIGHT. INTERESTING. AND I
HAVE TO ADMIT, CHRIS , I WAS
A LITTLE NERVOUS TO DONATE
BECAUSE YOU SIT IN THAT CHAIR
FOR AN HOUR RIGHT. AND I WAS
WORRIED I MIGHT GET LIGHTHEADED
OR THAT FEEL REALLY SICK
AFTERWARD. CAN YOU TELL ME
PHYSICALLY WHAT IT WAS LIKE
FOR YOU? NO, NOT SO BAD. I MEAN,
I GOT A LITTLE LIGHTHEADED,
BUT , YOU KNOW, THEY'RE TAKING
BLOOD OUT OF YOU, BUT THEY PUT
THE RED BLOOD CELLS BACK IN .
RIGHT. SO YOU CAN DONATE UP TO,
I BELIEVE, EIGHT TIMES ONCE
A WEEK AND YOU CAN GIVE
THAT MUCH PLASMA PLUS YOU GET
LIKE GREAT SNACKS AND FREE SODA
AFTERWARD.
AFTERWARD. >> I WAS UPSET. I MISSED
THE SNACKS. I GOT A GOOD LOOK AT
THEM . WAS THAT LEAH?
>> MY HENDRUM. SHE WAS FABULOUS.
YES. PHLEBOTOMISTS WESTED
MISSISSIPI. I AGREE. ONE HUNDRED
%. I WAS SAD. MY TIME WITH HER
WAS SO SHORT. BUT I WAS