PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A Palm Beach County doctor in the intensive care unit has received a much-needed plasma transfusion doctors say he needed.
The FoundCare physician is still fighting for his life, but his brother said he is already seeing small improvements.
“By the grace of God, Vladimir was still hanging in there with us. They infused the plasma,” said brother Paul Laroche.
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Last week, Paul Laroche said he would leave no stone unturned to find plasma from a recovered coronavirus patient to help his brother.
“He was able to donate on Friday morning, and that was the beginning of the process, which seem to take for eternity because the plasma was not ready. They collected it in Miami, but they had to send it to their processing lab in Orlando,” said Paul Laroche.
Doctors say it can take up 18 to 24 hours to get the plasma after its donated at a OneBlood center because it has to be screened at lab in Orlando before its delivered to the hospital.
On Saturday, Dr. Laroche received the infusion, and his brother says for the first time in several days, staff has not had to move him to increase his oxygen flow.
“Those little wins, they are great for us, for family members for the doctors, for the staff. It gives them a little bit a hope, especially coming from as far down as he was. Because for a few days now, he had been knocking on death’s door,” said Paul Laroche.
Now, Paul is waiting and praying his brother can soon come off the ventilator. In the meantime, he's busy creating a website to recruit more donors for others who need it most.
Also, Palm Beach Maritime Academy Principal Reno Boffice , who is battling the coronavirus,will start a plasma transfusion Monday. His sister, Louise Boffice, told WPTV as of Monday afternoon the plasma was enroute to the hospital.