Actually, I CAN get paid for that......

So, last January I had a post about donating blood for cash - Can I Get Paid for That? and no, I am not saying you can get paid to donate whole blood. But yes, you can get paid to donate plasma.

It is the holiday season and a lot of people need extra cash and you can donate plasma twice a week, but who is using that plasma?

The plasma that is collected at local plasma centers is manufactured into a wide variety of life-saving products that benefit thousands of people everyday. Plasma is used in the treatment of serious disorders such as hemophilia and immune system deficiencies, and to make products used to help treat and prevent diseases like tetanus, rabies, measles, rubella and hepatitis B.

One example is Hemophilia patients. They are deficient in the natural clotting factors that help stop bleeding after sustaining acute or other injuries. Plasma-based products are used to treat people with this disorder so that they may lead normal, active lives.

In addition, hospitals and emergency rooms all over the world use plasma-derived albumin in the treatment of traumatic injuries such as shock and severe burns.

It is important to remember that plasma is not a substance that can be produced in a laboratory or some other artificial environment. It can only be obtained from healthy adults. When you donate plasma, you are helping save lives.

Plasma that is donated and PAID for is used for medical research and/or used in products for other life-saving measures. It is NOT given to local hospitals or stored for future use by patients. This is unlike when you donate at local blood centers/drives - you are paid through the life saving efforts and NOT a monetary compensation.

Is it important to have the products/research that is derived from paid-for plasma? Yes, but if you can donate it directly to those that need it immediately please do so and if you want to, also donate for compensation since plasma can be easily replaced by your body.