An apheresis donor is a special person. When you become a donor, you know you are helping someone who is in critical need of a blood product. The apheresis process separates the whole blood into component parts that patients need. At Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital, you can be a platelet or plasma apheresis donor. You can help save lives by becoming one of these extraordinary donors.
Platelets are colorless cells, produced in the bone marrow, that aid in the clotting of blood.
Platelets are used within five days after a donation. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation frequently need these products. Platelets are also needed by infants, surgery patients and patients with bleeding disorders. All plasma collected at Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital is held for 112 days. Before plasma is given to a patient, the donor must be re-tested for various viral diseases.