Donating Plasma to Help Others Fight COVID-19 — Karen Wyble
Many people currently find themselves wondering what they can do to help their community through the COVID-19 pandemic, besides social distancing, and following CDC guidelines. Once someone has already contracted the virus, are there ways in which their peers can help?
Karen Wyble, CEO of St. Martin Hospital, is here to tell you exactly what you can do to help those around you fight COVID-19, exactly 4 cases at a time. Karen has had vast experience in healthcare and is passionate about helping those in need. She is a healthcare professional and a catalyst for positive change. She dedicates herself to assisting the development of healthcare policies that better every person’s health outcomes, with a particular focus on underserved communities.
Watch how Karen helps those fighting COVID-19 or read excerpts below.
“As the race to create a vaccine to prevent more coronavirus infections continues, as hospitals are using antibodies from people who have recovered from COVID-19… News 15’s Cassie Schirm learns just how easy it is to give the plasma and why one Lafayette resident continues to donate.
When it comes to needles sometimes people can be a little nervous giving blood or even plasma, well I sat down with a Lafayette nurse while she was giving her antibodies and she says it’s a super easy thing to do to help save a life.
“There was a point that I thought my body is failing, I’m not going to make it,” Karen Wyble a Lafayette general nurse became very ill back in February.
“It escalated to 103 fever, excruciating headaches, lower backache, that was intolerable” but at that time no one was talking about COVID-19 here in Louisiana.
“Every test I took was negative and the scariest part for me was not knowing what was happening to me.”
Weeks later the first case of coronavirus was diagnosed in the state but it wasn’t until last week that Wyble was able to take an antibody test at work to see if that is what she had.
“I came back positive, I was relieved to know, you know, what was wrong with me because it was emotional everything was negative but my body was failing.”
That same week she donated her plasma to help others and now she’s back at it again.
“I always knew I wanted to be a nurse since a little girl because I want to help others and give, to be able to give something you have back to heal people, it’s an amazing thing.”
The process to give plasma takes about two hours.
“Squeeze squeeze squeeze”
And Wyble says anyone can do it, “Being on this machine and giving is not anything compared to the symptoms of the coronavirus.”
And once more people are tested in the area, she thinks many others will join her, “I know as people become positive and realize that they have an opportunity to give they will be giving their plasma.”
So Wyble is resting easy “you sit back and say ok I’m going to give now,” knowing that she can make a difference, “did you get a good amount?”
“Oh yeah, we’re good!”
One donation at a time.
“How many people can we save with that one?”
“At least four”
“At least four, isn’t that awesome?”
If you’d like to join her and others and others who are donating their plasma to COVID-19 patients who are currently in the hospital you can go to vitalent.org where you fill out the paperwork and they’ll set you up with a time and an appointment in Lafayette I’m Cassie Schirm News 15.
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