For Manuel, helping people “in a completely altruistic way” is important: “It is just 45 minutes of a person’s life every two months.” The donor recalls that he did not hesitate when he received that first call in 2021, acknowledging that during the pandemic “we all had a very hard time,” including those around him.
“For me, it is very important because I know that other people can recover from different illnesses thanks to that donation. Donating blood saves lives, and donating plasma offers many possibilities for making medicines,” Manuel explains.
That is why he donates whenever he receives the call and encourages others to do the same. “It costs nothing, you leave feeling normal, you do not notice anything at all, and it takes 45 minutes. I think there are more than enough reasons to do it,” he says.
NEW MOBILE PLASMA DONATION UNIT
The Aragon Blood and Tissue Bank has launched a mobile plasma donation unit that will make this option available outside Zaragoza, with the aim of increasing the number of donors. Until now, any Aragon resident wishing to donate plasma through plasmapheresis had to travel to the only available facility, the Blood and Tissue Bank in the Aragonese capital. The new mobile unit will visit hospitals across Aragon and then health centers to introduce the unit to healthcare professionals and potential donors.
The Aragon Blood and Tissue Bank’s mobile plasma donation unit consists of a container housing two apheresis machines fixed to the walls and two beds for donor care. It will also have a table, two chairs, refrigerators for storing the plasma collected, an air-conditioning system and two generators to ensure its energy autonomy. The entire unit is transported by a tractor vehicle.
Each collection drive has a team made up of a doctor, a nursing professional and a driver, who are responsible for ensuring the activity runs properly and for caring for donors. Once each collection is completed, the plasma obtained is taken to the Aragon Blood and Tissue Bank, where the relevant quality and safety analyses are carried out, along with its processing, preservation and storage for subsequent therapeutic use.
