SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man who recovered from COVID-19 and was on a mission to help others suffering from the disease by donating plasma came to a stop when doctors told him he no longer had enough antibodies.
Brian Murphy got sick in March.
“I started having symptoms like (a) sinus infection,” Murphy said. “I had a pretty good migraine or headache most of the time. Very lethargic, tired.”
Doctors treated the symptoms for what they thought was just a sinus infection.
“They give me meds to treat the sinus infection. Obviously, they didn’t work,” Murphy said.
Murphy eventually got better, and after having blood work done in May, doctors told him he had COVID-19 antibodies, which means the sickness he felt about two months earlier was likely due to the coronavirus. Armed with that knowledge, Murphy jumped into action to help others battling the disease.
“I had given plasma seven times the first go round, so after that they said, ‘You don’t have enough antibodies in your system any longer,’” Murphy said.
Health officials said it is natural for the number of antibodies a person has to decrease over time.
While Murphy was no longer able to donate his plasma, he did continue to donate blood. Then, in December, something strange happened.
“They actually said I had more antibodies. So I said, ‘Oh, that’s interesting,’” Murphy said.
But Murphy hadn’t been sick again.
While unusual, Dr. Samantha Gomez Ngamsuntikul, of the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center, explains why Murphy’s antibodies may have returned.
“The potential reason is the high number of cases in the community. He may have been (re)exposed, leading to this increase in antibodies. And he may not have been showing symptoms because he had those antibodies,” she said.
Murphy suspects the new discovery of antibodies may be due to a change in testing. Either way, he’s happy he can once again help others recover from COVID-19 with his plasma. His next donation is scheduled for Friday.
If you would like information on how to donate plasma, click here or call 210-757-9505.
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