2/18/09 - A Bottle of Red, A Bottle of White

Today was plasmapheresis day. The process went well and Alyssa's blood pressure readings stayed within an acceptable range. Over the past month you have read here about this amazing pheresis machine and how much it has impacted both Alyssa's and her father, Dave's lives. Many of you have asked what you can do help Alyssa. With that in mind, we'll give you a little background on plasmapheresis then offer a suggestion.

Plasmapheresis is a blood purification procedure used to treat several autoimmune and other blood related diseases. The plasmapheresis process, which was invented in 1971, uses centrifugal force to separate blood into its components: red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma and platelets. Prior to the invention of this process, HUS resulted in a 100% fatality rate.

When Alyssa receives her plasmapheresis treatments, nurses from the Red Cross administer the procedure. There are four nurses she typically sees--Holly, Heidi, Mary Ellen and Bobbie. They are our saints and second "moms" to Alyssa. They have always been very supportive and informative and we so appreciate their expertise. They bring far more to the table than their knowledge...they bring a passion and caring for the patient that is second to none!

The high cost of a pheresis machine makes it cost prohibitive for the local hospitals to purchase their own machines; so we owe a great deal of grattitude to the Red Cross and their incredible staff for filling this void. Countless lives have been saved as a result of this process and the care and expertise with which our "magnificent four" administer it!

Each time the procedure is done (probably 30-35 so far) the hospital or i.d. tags are read and matched to the bag of plasma (usually 12 bags) individually. They repeat her name, i.d. number and blood type and match it to the blood bag for each of the twelve bags. Alyssa has of course become quite familiar with all of this and her "A-positive" blood type. Today for the first time she heard "A-negative" read out during the matching process and of course questioned it since she is positive. Holly explained that an A-positive person can receive A-negative blood but not the other way around. We are hoping Alyssa hasn't already depleted the A-positive blood supply!!!

Both Dave and Alyssa have been able to be treated and keep their conditions under control thanks to plasmapherisis and the Red Cross. When most of us think of the Red Cross, thoughts of disaster and fire relief come to mind and of course...blood donations. We all know how important blood donations are when we think of accident and trauma victims and everyday surgeries as possibly requiring blood transfusions; but never realized how many diseases are helped by them as well. It is unlikely anyone would want any "Deffenblood" anymore, but we are really thankful for anyone who does donate the gift of life through their blood.

So here's where you can help. There is always a need for blood donations, especially with the drain that the "Deffs" have put on the local supply. What you may not realize is that there are different types of donations. Whole blood donations are the most common, with the primary components of whole blood being red blood cells, platelets, plasma, and cryoprecipitate.
Apheresis is the process of removing a specific component of the blood, such as platelets or plasma, and returning the remaining components (red blood cells and plasma or platelets respectively) to the donor. This process allows more of one particular part of the blood to be collected than could be separated from a unit of whole blood. For example, the amount of platelets collected in one apheresis donation is five to eight times more than in a regular blood donation. Platelet apheresis donations also allow donors to give a lot more often if desired. Platelet donors only need to wait 3 days before they are eligible to donate again, versus 56 days for whole blood donors. Fresh, frozen plasma is what Alyssa receives three times per week. Dave receives intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) which contains the pooled IgG immunoglobulins (antibodies) extracted from the plasma of over one thousand blood donors.

Whole blood is red in color, plasma is yellowish and IVIG is clear. So whether you want to donate a "Bottle of Red or a Bottle of White," be assured that your donation will make a difference in someones life...it already has in the Deffenbaugh's!
dd