Martin County resident donates plasma to help Orlando man battling the coronavirus

STUART, Fla. — A Stuart man who beat the coronavirus is gaining nationwide consideration for his plasma donation, serving to doubtlessly save the lifetime of an Orlando father.

James P. Crocker, who lives in Martin County and is the president and founding father of Hog Applied sciences in Stuart, contracted COVID-19 final month however later recovered from the illness.

By a good friend’s put up on Fb, Crocker later heard about 52-year-old Michael Kevin Rathel’s battle with the coronavirus in Orlando.

Since he was recovered after defeating the virus, Crocker stated he felt the necessity to donate his plasma in an experimental therapy.

“Whereas I am making an attempt to save lots of my very own life, I understand when that is completed, I’ve received to attempt to take care of 155 workforce members who’re additionally very depending on me. And likewise on the similar time understand, if I can maintain all that collectively, I even have plasma that I can donate that may also be a profit to a different human being,” Crocker informed WPTV’s Jon Shainman on Tuesday.

On his Facebook page last week, Crocker shared his wrestle to get examined to donate plasma in an effort to save lots of Rathel, who was in a Orlando hospital in an induced coma.

Crocker was lastly capable of join by way of telephone calls and social media to donate his plasma to Rathel.

After the donation, Crocker stated Rathel’s shortly started to requiring much less oxygen.

Rathel’s spouse stated Monday on Fb that her husband’s “liver and kidney numbers are enormously improved,” however he’s nonetheless on a ventilator.

Fox 35 in Orlando reported that Rathel was Orlando Well being’s first affected person to bear the experimental plasma therapy, and docs are inspired by his progress.