FRONTLINE WORKERS WHO RECOVERED FROM COVID-19, DONATE BLOOD PLASMA

Cardiologist Dr. Marlon Everett (pictured) a COVID-19 survivor donated blood plasma. Hospital front- line workers, who survived COVID-19 and who now carry coronavirus anti- bodies, donated their blood plasma at a recent CCP Collection event. Photo courtesy of Advocate Aurora Trinity Hospital
Cardiologist Dr. Marlon Everett (pictured) a COVID-19 survivor donated blood plasma. Hospital front- line workers, who survived COVID-19 and who now carry coronavirus anti- bodies, donated their blood plasma at a recent CCP Collection event. Photo courtesy of Advocate Aurora Trinity Hospital

Frontline workers who recovered from COVID-19, donate blood plasma

BY TIA CAROL JONES

Hospital frontline workers who survived COVID-19 donated their blood plasma during a recent COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Collection at Advocate Trinity Hospital, located at 2320 E. 95th St. Their blood plasma, which has coronavirus antibodies, will be used to help critically ill COVID-19 patients.

The COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Collection event was organized by Dr. Marlon Everett, a cardiologist who survived coronavirus. He was one of 10 people who donated their plasma at the Monday, June 29, event.

Everett said when you think about it, it’s “pretty amazing” because most likely, the donors caught COVID-19 from the same patients they’re now helping. He added, although there is a probability the workers contracted the virus from the patients, they were not disgruntled. He said the workers, who were hopeful, still had a desire to give back and wanted to help those who were sick.

Everett said it was tough, while he had COVID-19. He said while he was at home, he wanted to get back to the hospital to help. “I was thinking about how I could get back and help. I wanted to get back and get back on the frontlines. I was excited to get back to work after being off for a week and a half,” he said, adding he’s just glad that everybody is healthy now and that everybody had the “wherewithal” to participate in the process.

Everett thanked the administration of Aurora Advocate Health, Advocate Trinity and Versiti Blood Center. “This is a movement. I want every hospital to do this because we have the potential to save more lives,” he said.

Rashard Johnson is the president of Advocate Trinity Hospital. Johnson said while people use the word heroes, it really is true of the frontline hospital workers from the Advocate Trinity. He said what they did was “remarkable.”

Calling it a “gift from God,” Johnson said he could not thank the frontline workers enough and words couldn’t express how grateful he was for them. “We are extremely proud to work side-by-side with you and to be team members. And, as we fight and defeat COVID[-19] together, these are monumental steps that we take in order to defeat it.”

Johnson thanked Everett for reaching out to him and for having the idea to gather all of the frontline workers together and those who showed their support. “This is what we need. We need to lean on each other because we don’t know what the future holds for us, we don’t know what tomorrow is, as we fight this pandemic,” Johnson said.

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