‘It felt like my skin was on fire’
STEPHEN FRANKLIN FOUGHT OFF COVID-19 AT HOME IN BIRMINGHAM IN MARCH 2020 – AND SINCE THEN HE’S BECOME ONE OF THE UK’S TOP PLASMA DONORS, HELPING OTHERS
We need men to donate as they’re more likely to have high levels of antibodies
Professor Dave Roberts, associate director of blood donation at NHS Blood and Transplant
“THE first symptoms started in lockdown one,” says Stephen Franklin, 55. “I was working when my lips went numb. I went straight home to isolate for ten days with my partner who also tested positive for Covid-19.”
Stephen, a former Army helicopter co-pilot and firefighter from Hall Green in Birmingham, had many of the usual symptoms: he lost his sense of taste and smell, and had a sky-high temperature. But, he recalls, “I had hypersensitive skin too. I was burning all over – I couldn’t bear to shower.” As his fever raged, his partner wanted to call an ambulance, but Stephen opted to fight the virus at home.
After he’d recovered, Stephen saw an advert online from NHS Blood and Transplant, calling for people to donate plasma to help others recover from the virus. “I’ve always been a blood donor, so it was a no-brainer. I wanted to help,” he says.
ANTIBODIES
Blood plasma makes up about half of your blood volume. After your body has overcome a virus, it contains antibodies that help fight infection.
The NHS is now collecting blood plasma for use in scientific research and possible treatments for coronavirus. “We need men to donate, because they are more likely to have high enough antibody levels,” says Professor Dave Roberts, associate director of blood donation at NHS Blood and Transplant. To date, more than 375,000 people have offered to donate plasma.
Stephen attended a clinic in Birmingham, where some of his blood was taken, the antibody-rich plasma removed and the blood returned to his body. “It’s not hard to donate,” says Stephen. “You just sit there eating biscuits!”
Stephen has now donated 16 blood plasma times. “I’d love to get to 20 before my antibodies get too low,” he says.