International Plasma Awareness Week 2024: The importance of raising awareness for plasma donation

October 7th is the first day of International Plasma Awareness Week (IPAW) 2024! Throughout the week until October 11th, people celebrate IPAW and get involved by learning more about plasma donation, raising awareness, and celebrating donors who have helped so many patients.

IPAW was first launched in 2013 by the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association (PPTA) and its member companies. Supporting organizations include the Immune Deficiency Foundation and Jeffrey Modell Foundation.

The PPTA provides some amazing materials to advocate for IPAW, and you can access them here.

What is plasma?

Plasma is the single largest component of human blood. Our blood is made up of 55% plasma, 44% red blood cells, and 1% white blood cells and platelets. Plasma contains antibodies that help to fight diseases, which makes it very valuable for medicines that treat chronic and life-threatening disorders. Plasma also contains proteins, and among these are clotting factors that help form blood clots for injuries to stop bleeding.

Plasma cannot be made synthetically and must be donated in order to create plasma-derived medicine for patients. That is why plasma saves lives, and every single donation is cherished by patients who rely on it.

When plasma is donated, blood is taken from the donor and the plasma is separated from red blood cells and other components, which are re-injected into the donor. You can see a diagram of the process from plasmaweek.org below:

How do I donate plasma?

To donate plasma, you need to first find a nearby plasma donation center. You can click here to use this tool to find a donation center near you.

The good news is that you get paid! The payment depends on the center, but many places have new donor specials where you can get more for your first few donations.

You can contact these centers to set up an appointment, where they will check your age, weight, overall health, and identification to see if you qualify to donate. You must be at least 18 years old.

Once there, you will sit for a few hours while donation process is carried out. If you want to learn more about the plasma donation process, check out my article that details my boyfriend’s experience at CSL Plasma.

We appreciate plasma donors!

I have been so lucky to be able to receive a plasma-derived therapy for 5 years now. Plasma has completely changed my life and given me hope. When I first got sick, I thought that I would never live a “normal” life. But plasma have provided a way for my body to defend itself against infections and illnesses, and for that I am so grateful!

If you have a story about how plasma has changed your life, you can share your story with the PPTA here.

It really helps to show the impact of plasma donation and show our appreciation. We wouldn’t be able to do it without donors and those who work hard at the donation centers! That is why this week is so important. The hope is that we continue to raise awareness and celebrate those who have made a difference!