NORTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A Fulton County man who ended up in a coma believes convalescent plasma helped save his life.
Steven Feldman spent days on a ventilator at Northside Hospital last spring after getting Coronavirus.
Feldman said he was feeling bad one day when he got home from work. He checked his temperature and it was 102.5.
Feldman said he self-isolated in the basement. His wife happened to come down at one at one point and discovered her husband had taken a turn for the worse. He was rushed to Northside Hospital.
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Feldman says for the next 18 days, he had no idea what was going on because he was in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator.
“The weird thing about being in a coma is that you’re not sleeping, and you’re not awake,” Feldman said.
With few coronavirus treatments available at that time in the spring, Feldman got convalescent plasma. People who’ve recovered from coronavirus donate their plasma to give to a patient who gets some of that person’s antibodies.
“To this day, I don’t know who it was that donated, but whoever it was, thank you very much,” Feldman said. “You saved my life.”
Feldman said he feels great now, but he’s not sure he would be here without the treatment.
Research continues on convalescent plasma as a treatment for the virus. The FDA says it doesn’t appear to be harmful. It’s still unclear how many people it helps because the donated plasma has different levels of antibodies.
In Feldman’s case, he went from a ventilator to fully recovering. He says doctors who treated him say he’s a walking miracle.
This past Monday, Feldman donated plasma to help someone else.
“I feel that if somebody was willing to step up to the plate for me, then why not?” Feldman said.
Cox Media Group
