Recovered COVID-19 Patient Thrilled To Give Back By Donating Plasma

After recovering from COVID-19, a Green Country woman is donating her plasma in hopes of saving lives. She invited News On 6 to the American Red Cross while she donated, to learn how the process works.

"I really didn't know what to expect because I had never done this before,” convalescent plasma donor Sherry Snider said.  “So there was a little bit of anxiety that went along with the excitement, of actually being here and being able to give back.”

We have followed Snider’s recovery from COVID-19 earlier this year.

"No one knows how they are going to come through it,” Snider said. “I was able to come through it in such a way that I am able to give back and that thrills me.”

She said the choice to donate was clear.

"All along I felt like it is something I must do. I almost felt compelled," said Sherry.

The process takes about an hour and a half to two hours.

"She has the opportunity to watch Netflix, watch TV, sit here, be comfortable," said Stacia Bunch with the American Red Cross.

"I wonder why I even felt anxious," said Snider.

The machine works while the patient sits back and relaxes.

“The red blood cells are going to come out, cycle through the machine, the plasma is going to come up here and the red blood cells are going to return back through her arm," Bunch said.

Employees at the Red Cross said this is a simple way for people who recover from COVID-19 to turn around and help someone else. The plasma donations could save someone's life whose body is struggling to fight COVID-19.  That fact is more than enough of a reason for Snider to keep coming back to give.

"If someone is thinking about doing this, they really should approach doing it.,” Snider said. “See if you qualify and do it because it is not as hard as you would think.”

If you would like to learn more about donating, visit the Red Cross website here.