Woman's donor plea after having life-saving plasma

A woman who received blood plasma after being diagnosed with a rare condition called thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) has said she would not be here today without donors.

Michelle, from Coventry, who asked not to share her surname, spoke out after the NHS said blood stocks were running low.

Health chiefs have called for 200,000 new donors to come forward to avoid a "red alert", where there is a threat to public safety.

Michelle said it took about 150 donors to save her life a couple of years ago.

"I wouldn't be talking to you today without people donating plasma. I developed a very rare blood condition a few years ago and in the space of a week, I needed over 150 units of plasma to keep me alive," she said.

"They took my plasma out of my blood and gave me donor plasma back."

NHS trusts describe TTP as a rare disease, related to blood clotting, that has to be treated in hospital.

Michelle said donating blood and plasma "saves lives", adding: "If you've never done it before, it doesn't take long, it's a really simple thing to do, but it makes such a huge difference to people like me".

NHS Blood and Transplant, the body that oversees England's blood donation system, has said the number of regular donors needs to rise from about 800,000 to more than one million to maintain a safe and reliable supply.

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