A mother from London is encouraging individuals to contribute plasma following her daughter’s urgent need for treatment due to a rare heart-affecting childhood illness.
Rebecca’s daughter was only seven years old when she was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, a condition she had previously known only from an episode of Grey’s Anatomy.
Winifred, now nine, was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin derived from donated plasma. She has since made a full recovery and now just requires regular check-ups.
According to NHS Blood and Transplant, plasma donors are crucial in ensuring that treatments like immunoglobulin are readily available for affected children. Rebecca expressed her desire to help other families access this life-saving treatment.
In December 2023, Winifred fell ill with a fever that persisted for several days.
“At first, it seemed like just a typical illness,” Rebecca recalled. “She wasn’t gravely ill; she just had a fever and didn’t seem herself.”
After being examined at the hospital, the family was reassured and discharged, but later Winifred developed an unusual rash over her body.
Concerned, Rebecca shared images of the rash with a friend who works as a pediatric A&E consultant. He recommended that she take Winifred back to the hospital to rule out Kawasaki disease.
“At that moment, I had only known of it from a Grey’s Anatomy episode,” Rebecca admitted. “I never thought it could impact my own child.”
Winifred was taken to the Royal Free Hospital in London, where she received a diagnosis of Kawasaki disease, which leads to inflammation in blood vessels and has the potential to harm the heart if not addressed promptly.
Thanks to the quick diagnosis, Winifred received urgent intravenous immunoglobulin treatment, which is made from donated plasma and is effective in significantly lowering the risk of long-term heart issues.
Rebecca noted that her daughter was quickly discharged and returned to school within days.
Currently nine years old, Winifred is healthy and no longer requires medication, although she continues to attend routine follow-up appointments, her mother mentioned.
Kawasaki disease can be hard to diagnose since its symptoms often mimic those of more prevalent childhood illnesses, and any delays in treatment can heighten the risk of serious heart complications.
After understanding how plasma donation helps produce immunoglobulin treatments, Rebecca chose to start donating plasma at a dedicated center in Twickenham. She hopes to ensure that other children can receive the same life-saving care her daughter did.
Pamela Antoinette, an operations manager with NHS Blood and Transplant and a former nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital, stated that she has observed “firsthand the devastating impact of Kawasaki disease on children and their families.”
“While some children recover well, others may face significant, lifelong heart complications. Plasma donors are essential for ensuring treatments like immunoglobulin are available when children need them most,” she added.
Plasma constitutes 55% of our blood and is rich in antibodies that support and stabilize the immune system. These antibodies can be used to create medicines and treatments such as the one that helped Rebecca’s daughter.
During a blood donation, all components, including plasma, are collected. In a plasma donation, however, a machine separates the plasma from other blood elements, allowing the rest, like red blood cells, to be returned to the donor’s body immediately. This enables a person to donate more plasma per session and with greater frequency—around every two weeks compared to a blood donation, which is typically every twelve weeks.
Signs of Kawasaki disease may include persistent fever along with other symptoms, prompting parents to seek urgent medical assistance if observed in their child.
