A MOTHER, whose serious illness is being treated by plasma medicine, surprised staff and donors at Reading Plasma Donor Centre to thank them for their contributions.
Emma Stone, 37, visited the Kings Road site to offer her support during the inaugural Plasma Donation Week.
Plasma forms a part of the medicine called immunoglobulin, which strengthens or stabilises the immune system, and is used to treat more than 50 diseases.
In 2022, 525 people from the Thames Valley region received immunoglobulin.
Ms Stone said immunoglobulin medicine worked ‘like a miracle’ after she developed the rare autoimmune disease chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), getting diagnosed in January 2022.
Before her visit, she said: “I can’t wait to visit the centre and meet some of the staff and donors. They are wonderful people, they have given my kids their mum back. I want to thank people in person, they are making such a difference.”
Over the course of six months, the beautician and mother of two went from experiencing pins and needles in her hands to frequently needing a wheelchair to leave the house.
Her immune system was attacking the nerves that send signals to her muscles. CIPD is progressive and sufferers can permanently lose mobility in their arms and legs.
Ms Stone said: “It was very scary and it was very traumatic for my children to see.
“The treatment was like a miracle. Within about four weeks, it had made a huge difference and I could move almost normally again.
“It was amazing.”
She now receives regular infusions at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
Paula Ussher, Reading Donor Centre manager, said: “Our staff and donors feel very proud to actually meet someone whose life has been saved by plasma donation.
“Every donor makes a huge difference to people like Emma who rely on medicines made from plasma to save and improve their lives.
“Giving plasma is as easy and safe as giving blood and you will be helping to make medicines to treat more than 50 diseases.”
England relied solely on imported plasma medicines for more than 20 years as a precaution against vCJD, but the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) decided in 2021 that plasma from UK donors could be used for immunoglobulin once again.
Donations are being frozen until the manufacturing chain is finalised this year. They will bolster the long-term availability of the medicine in England, giving patients more protection from international shocks and shortages.
