By Rea Mahbubani
Marisa Leuzzi at the American Red Cross during her plasma donation on March 31.
Marisa Leuzzi's primary care physician (click here) told her in March that she had the flu. Leuzzi had a high fever, some gastrointestinal discomfort, and a slight cough. But she hadn't traveled or knowingly come in contact with a coronavirus patient, so COVID-19 seemed unlikely.
Still, Leuzzi, who is asthmatic, was convinced something else was at play. She went to a drive-thru coronavirus testing center in Pennsylvania, where she lives, for "peace of mind."
Her instincts were right: She had COVID-19.
Less than two weeks after recovering from the illness, Leuzzi became the American Red Cross's first donor of convalescent plasma — an antibody-rich blood component that is obtained from patients who have recovered from infection diseases. Her donation helped save the lives of two coronavirus patients, one of whom is her aunt....
