Family Pleas For Recovered COVID-19 Plasma Donations, May Help Save Father’s Life

A father is clinging to life inside a metro hospital, fighting to beat COVID-19.

His family hopes a simple donation of plasma will help save his life, along with many other lives too.

Tuesday will mark two weeks that Randy Spires, 63, has been hooked up to a ventilator at Mercy Hospital.

It's brand new procedure, but plasma from someone who already fought off COVID-19 could save his life.

“If he were to walk into the room right now you would be his best friend, like right away,” said Meredith Huggins, Spires daughter.

Nothing about Randy Spires puts him at "high risk" for COVID-19. On the morning of March 21, all of that changed.

“They weren’t really the traditional fever and cough the CDC pushed so hard, he kind of had more congestion,” said Huggins.

Days passed and congestion quickly turned into a high grade fever of 103.

Spires was taken to Mercy Hospital. It was the last time he's been seen in person since.

“It is heartbreaking I think especially because you feel so helpless,” said Huggins. “The rest of our family got COVID as well. The rest of us didn't qualify for a test but we've all had symptoms and we've all been able to fight it off.”

There is some hope. Plasma from a recovered COVID patient may contain antibodies others need to fight the virus. The practice was approved last week with encouraging results.

“If they are on a machine to help them breathe, they tend to get off,” said Jordan Metcalf, a Pulmonary and Critical Care Specialist at OU Medicine. “If they are on large amounts of oxygen, so that they can get enough oxygen, they are able to ween that down.”

For weeks, we've been robbed of humanity. One simple donation may help put us back in control once again.

"Dad do not give up, keep fighting and we are not going to stop fighting for you,” said Huggins.

For anyone who has recovered from COVID-19, you must be symptom free for 14 days before being allowed to donate plasma.

Click here to register to donate plasma as a recovered COVID-19 patient.