BBC News, West Midlands
FamilyA patient from Telford who needed a lifesaving treatment developed from blood plasma has thanked donors.
Over the past three years, thousands of litres of blood from donors across England has been stored and turned into immunoglobulin, which helps the body’s immune response.
It marks the first time in 25 years the NHS is able to make the substance from national donations, rather than relying on imports.
Sophie Meredith, who developed thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), said without a plasma exchange she was unlikely to have survived.
“I am so grateful to everyone who donates blood,” she said.
“You are not just helping people with your red blood cells – now the plasma in your blood donation is helping people too.”
Across the West Midlands, around 1,100 people receive immunoglobulin each year, with 410 of those helped at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust last year, NHS Blood and Transplant health authority said.
Blood donors for mobile teams based in Solihull and Sutton Coldfield, which also travel across parts of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the wider West Midlands county, have supplied more than 14,000 litres of plasma.
Their efforts have ensured about 6,500 bottles of immunoglobulin can be produced, saving almost 200 lives, the authority said.
Ms Meredith developed TTP during pregnancy, which led to blood clots through her small blood vessels.
NHSUntreated, the clots cause organ damage and low red blood cell and platelet counts.
Doctors believe Ms Meredith’s condition was triggered by an autoimmune response to pregnancy.
She was diagnosed with TTP four days after her condition deteriorated and she was rushed by ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
“It escalated so quickly,” she said.
“As soon as I got to A&E there was a doctor waiting for me, so I knew it was serious.”
She received more than 27 bags of fresh frozen plasma to help stabilise her.
Plasma makes up 55% of a person’s blood and contains antibodies, which strengthen or stabilise the immune system.
“I remember getting a leaflet and it said without plasma exchange there is a 90% mortality rate from an acute TTP episode,” she said.
Paula Costin, from Shrewsbury, also said she knew first hand how important these therapies were.
She has blood cancers myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which have in turn worsened another condition, called hypogammaglobulinemia, which is a low antibody count.
She said immunoglobulin had given her the chance to try and be more active and “live a little”, after years of being careful due to her illnesses.
