2020 was a tough year for many of us, but it also brought about the opportunity to look at how we can reach out to help others, be they friends or complete strangers. It’s so easy to get caught up in our own busy lives that we often forget just how much a small gesture of kindness can make in one person’s day…like a wave through the window. But Tammy Johnson of Eagle Grove wanted to take the challenges she faced in 2020 and turn them into something even bigger, and for complete strangers, but as per the course of the last year, even that was very difficult.
It all began in August when Tammy and her family traveled to Texas to be with her father who had fallen very ill. Shortly after their arrival, he passed away. While dealing with the grief, Johnson found out more bad news…she had come down with a very severe COVID and would not be allowed to return to Iowa until her quarantine was over. Her daughter, Alyssa, also came down with it.
Fast forward to when they were both back in Iowa, were healthy again, and had met all the post-COVID guidelines, their minds switched to helping others who were facing the same pandemic battle. Alyssa told her mom she was going to donate convalescent plasma, which is being used to help treat COVID-19. Tammy agreed, she would do the same. They set out for Ames on a mission of making a difference. Tammy brought with her the paperwork from Brownwood Department of Public Health in Texas that she had gotten saying she was clear of COVID and was released to fly back to Iowa.
“I thought that would be sufficient to get me in to donate,” said Tammy.
But it wasn’t. She needed the actual test result papers. Early One Source in Texas, where Tammy had her original COVID test done, faxed the test results to Ames and she thought that would get the ball rolling. But it wasn’t. They asked her lots of questions, took her fingerprints, but couldn’t fit her in because the facility was so busy.
A few days later, Tammy went back to try again. Yet again, she hit another roadblock. Her blood pressure was a little high. Staff attributed it to stress and recommended she just take a little time to rest and relax. Then they pricked her finger, asked her some more questions, and sent her to the testing room. There, she said they asked her “timed” questions and they told her if she didn’t finish in the allocated amount of time, she wouldn’t be able to donate that day. You guessed it; Tammy did not complete the test in the time amount given.
“I was hesitating about a heart question,” she said, explaining that she is on blood pressure medication and has controlled heart palpitations.
After three hours at the facility that day, and two hours of total drive time (there and back to Eagle Grove), she was still not allowed to donate.
“I’ve now invested a total of 10 hours of my time and still didn’t get to donate,” explained Tammy, admitting she was feeling frustrated.
Despite the challenges, Tammy was still determined to donate plasma to help save the lives of others fighting COVID. She waited patiently at home for the doctor to call her, like he said he would do, to let her know if the heart medication she was on was considered safe for her to still donate. She heard nothing.
“I felt very unappreciated…I wanted to save lives,” said Tammy.
Admittedly, she’s a little discouraged by the whole process, and is mostly disappointed that she has not been able to help others. As a long-time member of the Eagle Grove EMS (although she has been on leave since her COVID diagnosis…but she will go back), she has a true passion to help others and save lives. Donating plasma would just be another way for her to do that. If she finds out she still has antibodies to COVID, and if the meds are approved, she will still go and donate.
She also wants people to know that she is not sharing her story of difficulty in donating to discourage others from giving convalescent plasma if they are able, but rather to save them the frustration she went through. Her intent is to educate others about what exactly it is that they need to make it go as smoothly as possible. Call ahead for an appointment. Make sure you have all the necessary paperwork, and allow plenty of time.
“Make sure to talk to your own doctor before you go and have documentation of the medications you take and if it is safe to give plasma while you are on them…have an original copy of the COVID test with you, and make sure you know the answers to questions about you and your health,” said Tammy.
While she did experience frustration in her plasma journey, Tammy stressed that she knows it is the professionals’ job to keep everyone safe and they are just doing what is necessary. In the end, what really matters is being able to help the people who are ill and in the hospital fighting a disease that has kept us apart from the ones we love for more than nine months.
