For Rebecca McCain, donating blood plasma is a family affair.

She's been visiting Casper's BioLife Plasma Services for nearly three years, "twice a week, faithfully," she said. Her husband has been stopping by to donate for even longer.

There's a special reason she does it, and it's not just the much-advertised compensation. It's closer to home than that.

"My mom has a genetic condition, and every two weeks she receives a plasma-based augmentation therapy," McCain said.

Her mother suffers from alpha-1antitrypsin deficiency - the alpha-1 protein is lacking in the lungs or liver, which allows enzymes to destroy tissue, and can result in pulmonary problems or liver scarring.

"(Donating plasma) seemed like a good way to contribute to the people who make medicines that help people like her," said McCain.

The BioLife donation center in Casper is one of 57 BioLife branches across the nation. The plasma collected at these centers is used by Baxter International, Inc., a Deerfield, Ill.-based pharmaceutical company, to manufacture medicines.

Plasma is the yellow, liquid portion of whole blood; it consists mostly of water and proteins that help control bleeding and infection.

With donated plasma, Baxter derives drugs like Gammagard, taken by people with immune deficiencies, as well as drugs to treat hemophilia and shock and burn victims.

"The big misconception we would like to clear up," said Brian Colby, manager of the Casper BioLife center, "is we do not use it for any type of cosmetics or research. It's directly, strictly for the products we make that help save lives."

Plasma donation is different from whole-blood donation because only plasma is taken from the donor. There's a needle and a tube, just like with a whole-blood donation, but there's a crucial difference once the blood is extracted.

"A separation device acts as a centrifuge that separates the plasma," said Colby. "The red cells are held in a little holding cell. At the end of the collection cycle, the cells are returned through the same needle."

One needle-stick is enough for anyone, and at the BioLife center that's all donors have to worry about. And since the rest of the blood components are returned to the donor - including red cells, white cells and platelets - plasma donation is less taxing on the body than whole-blood donation.

"People can donate twice a week as long as they have one day in between their donations," Colby said. "Your body reproduces those proteins within 24 to 48 hours."

Giving plasma is itself a humanitarian gesture, but BioLife adds a little extra to sweeten the pot. Donors can earn up to $50 per week, which could potentially add up to $2,600 per year.

Colby was careful to point out, however, that donors aren't being paid for their plasma; rather, they're being "compensated for their time."

"It does take longer than donating blood," he said. "A donor may be there for an hour, hour-and-a-half for a donation. The first time they come in during a calendar week we compensate them $20, the second time $30.

"It's a commitment by (the donors) when they come in twice a week," he said, noting that two sessions could take three hours out of a week.

Not just anyone can donate plasma, though. Donors must be at least 18 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds, and a physical is required before they're allowed to donate.

"We do a very thorough screening," Colby said. "Our two main concerns are donor safety and the quality of the product, also."

The initial physical could extend the office visit to more than two hours if there's also a donation that day, and the physical must be repeated once a year while the donor is visiting the center. Donations are tested and re-tested for communicable diseases, and each visit begins with a check for red blood cell volume and plasma protein levels.

It's all worth it for McCain, though.

"We're on the giving and the receiving end," she said.

Staff writer Kathleen St. John can be reached at 266-0586 or Kathleen.Stjohn@casperstartribune.net.

BioLife Plasma Donation Centers

*Casper: 733 Landmark Drive, 232-9232

*Cheyenne: 2009 Bluegrass Circle, (307) 634-5390

*Laramie: 1122 Adams St., (307) 742-3608

For more information:

*BioLife Plasma Services: www.biolifeplasma.com

*American Red Cross: www.givelife2.org/donor/apheresis.asp

Don't forget …

Whole-blood donations are desperately needed, too. United Blood Services in Casper accepts donations most days of the week. For more information, call 237-2328 or visit www.unitedbloodservices.org.