Geneva prep athlete leading drive to donate blood to combat COVID-19
A Geneva High School senior who contracted COVID-19 this fall made his first convalescent plasma donation in February, and now he's urging other survivors to do the same.
According to a news release, Konnor Mickelsen is working with the Geneva High School Athletic Department to co-sponsor the Geneva Strong Community Blood Drive with Versiti Blood Centers of Illinois.
The drive will take place from 2 to 7 p.m. Monday, March 29, at Geneva Lutheran Church's Fellowship Hall, 301 South 3rd St., Geneva.
After he fully recovered, Mickelsen learned how donated plasma from survivors helps current COVID-19 patients, and now he is rallying his football teammates and classmates to donate, the release said.
“My first blood donation was a donation of convalescent plasma, as I had tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of November,” Mickelsen wrote in an email. “I was fortunate to recover with no health concerns. However, I knew that many others had a much worse experience with COVID and they needed the plasma to allow for an easier and more rapid recovery.”
According to the release, blood and blood products are in great demand in the fight against COVID-19. Each blood donation impacts three lives.
“It is important to donate because the process is extremely easy and others can greatly benefit from a simple donation,” Mickelsen said. “There are so many young teenagers/adults like me in my community, and we are fortunate enough to be in good health. By donating, we allow others to receive treatments or undergo procedures that will end up greatly increasing their current and future health.”
For those interested in donating, walk-ins are welcome as the schedule allows, but appointments are encouraged to better enable social distancing, the release said.
Visit https://donate.illinois.versiti.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/5591826 to schedule an appointment. For information, contact Drive Coordinator kraigmickelsen@gmail.com, call (800) 786-4483 or visit http://www.versiti.org/IL.