India / Delhi man donates plasma 9 times after recovering from coronavirus

New Delhi: Tabrez Khan, a Delhi resident who faced 'social boycott' after being tested positive for coronavirus in March has now become a 'saviour' for many who are currently battling with the pathogen. He has donated his plasma nine times and still hopes to donate again and help the ones in dire need.

A resident of Jahangir Puri, Tabrez had tested positive for novel coronavirus on March 18, following which he was discharged from the hospital on April 5 once he recovered fully.

While speaking with ANI, he shared his journey from being a COVID-19 patient to a plasma donor.

"In March, I went to meet my sister who had arrived from Saudi Arabia. She had symptoms for COVID-19. Next day, I also developed symptoms such as fever, cough and cold. To protect my family and members of the society, I went to Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital for coronavirus testing. They referred me to RML Hospital who further sent me to LNJP (Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan) Hospital where I was diagnosed with coronavirus," he said.

Soon after, the fear settled in and Tabrez was worried about his family's well-being. "I was scared whether I will be alive or not. I was worried about my family. I had become pessimistic after consuming the news related to the virus around that time."

During this time, the doctors at LNJP Hospital helped him get through the ordeal while treating and motivating him.

"I am thankful to the LNJP staff for turning me into an optimist. They told me about other patients' recovery which in turn gave me hope that I could also recover. I started doing Yoga to improve immunity and thinking positively during my recovery period. I was discharged from the hospital on April 5," he said.

However, the road to recovery was not as easy as Tabrez explains how he faced a 'social boycott' after testing positive for the deadly virus.

"When I tested positive, the whole society began treating me like a criminal. They were acting like I was a ticking bomb which could explode anytime. Everybody started avoiding my family. My wife remained hungry for two days when I and my mother were hospitalised for COVID-19 treatment," he described his experience, adding that it was an "unfortunate" incident which he will never be able to forget. "Even when I was discharged from the hospital, the society members did not treat me well. This pain will be remembered forever. Chemist and shopkeepers boycotted me. People even called the police when I or my family members stepped out."

Nevertheless, these situations did not deter Tabrez from donating plasma and saving many lives.

"I am helping people who have tested positive for COVID-19. I have faced the pain and do not wish the same upon anyone. The stigma around this lethal virus bothers me. I give tuitions to students along with my wife and have a socks manufacturing company. I have donated plasma nine times and each time I do this, I have a positive feeling that I am saving a life and helping a family. I am glad that doctors feel that I still have antibodies in my body. I will continue doing this," he said.

Tabrez has donated plasma twice after he received a call from the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS). Now, he even receives calls from the relatives of coronavirus patients. "My family and society members ask me to not do this as it might cause problems for me in the future but I do this for someone's happiness," he said, adding that he donated plasma 15 days back.

According to medical experts, bodies of people who recover from coronavirus produce an anti-body/plasma in the blood to help the person fight against coronavirus. If a little bit of this anti-body/plasma is given to a critical patient then the plasma helps in the latter person's recovery.

India's first 'plasma bank', the Delhi Plasma Bank which was established at the ILBS here in collaboration with the Delhi government became operational on July 5.

Tabrez urged people who have recovered from coronavirus to come forward and donate plasma.

"Plasma therapy is used worldwide and it is an easy method. The administration should appreciate people who are donating plasma," he added.

His wife, Kusum, who also faced problems when Tabrez was admitted in the hospital for treatment shared that she had got herself tested but the result was negative. Despite that, many shopkeepers refused to sell the groceries to her at the time.

"After coming home from the hospital, my husband faced problems here. People used to call the police when he stepped out. After he started donating plasma, everybody stopped discriminating. Doctors told us that donating plasma is a good thing. It did not cause weakness. It saves a life and hence we should continue," she added.