Jerry Glubisz

Delta, British Columbia

“I didn’t want to be a bystander when I could be someone useful,” says Jerry Glubisz.

In April 2020, Jerry became Canadian Blood Services’ first donor of COVID-19 convalescent plasma. Plasma is a component of blood, and COVID-19 convalescent plasma is plasma obtained from fully recovered COVID-19 patients. Donations from Jerry and others are fuelling national clinical trials of the safety and effectiveness of convalescent plasma as a possible treatment for the illness.

This past February, at the onset of the pandemic, Jerry experienced a high fever, a terrible cough and severe exhaustion. He thought he had caught a bad flu, but he soon learned that it was COVID-19. Despite the pain he suffered, he says that being apart from family was almost as devastating as the illness itself.

“After learning that the antibodies contained in my plasma could help others, I wanted do my little part for a really important cause,” he says.

Since April, Jerry has been regularly donating plasma for the clinical trials. He frequently encourages others to do the same, as there is a constant need for more donors.

“I plan to continue donating even when the pandemic is over. Hopefully, my contribution will be good for the research cause and help others get better. And that makes me feel pretty good.”