Sharp Decrease in Plasma Donations Due to COVID Leaves Immunocompromised at Risk

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically decreased blood donations, especially those for plasma.  Thousands of patients rely on plasma-derived therapies to treat potentially deadly conditions like cancer, primary immunodeficiency disease, hemophilia, severe burns and more. One of these patients is John Boyle, who has lived with a rare primary immunodeficiency disease, X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA), since he was 6 months old. He must receive monthly plasma transfusions to survive – which means he has received more than 1,000 plasma donations in his lifetime.  He is here to discuss the dire need for donations, the donation process, his personal journey with plasma, and how plasma donations support these patient communities.   A list of donation centers can be found at donatingplasma.org.

John G. Boyle is a patient and advocate who relies on plasma-derived therapies and the former Immune Deficiency Foundation CEO & president. Boyle utilizes plasma-derived therapies to treat his primary immunodeficiency disease, X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA). Following his diagnosis at six months old, Boyle’s mother, Marcia, established the Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF) after realizing many families did not have access to the same diagnosis, treatment or patient support options. Through his involvement in IDF and his experience living with XLA, Boyle devotes his time to advocacy and awareness for those with primary immunodeficiency diseases.