For Yarrow's Barb Schmidt, the Abbotsford plasma donor centre is a beacon of lifesaving and a reminder of the generosity of donors.

Langley's Reg Harbeck sees the centre as a way to give back. He has used the Abbotsford location to donate plasma hundreds of times and believes doing so allows him to participate in shared humanity.

Those two faces and the entire facility were on display when Character Abbotsford had a special visit and tour of the centre earlier this month.

Here at the Abbotsford Plasma Centre with learning about everything they do

B次元官网网址� Ben Lypka (@BenLypka)

Canadian Blood Services officially opened the Abbotsford plasma donor centre at 32700 South Fraser Way on April 11, 2023. It's one of only 11 locations in the country that exclusively collects plasma. Abbotsford was specifically chosen as a location because of the generosity of the community.

Plasma is the protein-rich liquid in blood that helps other blood components circulate throughout your body. When it's separated from our blood it is light yellow in appearance. More than half (55 per cent) of your blood is plasma. It protects your body from illness, infection and excessive bleeding, and it can be used for transfusions or to make medications.

Johanna Aguirre, the centre's manager of business development and plasma operations, said plasma is very versatile to battle a number of different health issues.

"We actually see that plasma protein products are helping a really broad number of illnesses and diseases," she said. "And that's increasing B次元官网网址� cancer, immune deficiencies, coronary, organ transplants B次元官网网址� all use plasma."

Schmidt explained that without donors she would not be alive. She's a lifelong plasma recipient.

"I was born without a functioning immune system," she told the Character Abbotsford group. "I had to get vaccinations over and over and over because my body didn't make any antibodies. So by the time I got chicken pox three times, doctors knew something was wrong."

Throughout her adult life Schmidt had to receive medical care and by the time she was 40 she was still spending a month in the hospital for pneumonia for four to six times a year. She was in the ICU while at the hospital and had to be on oxygen at home. Those issues continued until she discovered immunogoblin B次元官网网址� which is one of the products made from plasma donations. The pills she regularly help her fight diseases and provide her with the necessary antibodies to stave off sickness and live a normal life.

"I haven't been in the hospital with pneumonia now for 20 years," she said. "I am so thankful to the donors. The difference for me was before I started this the Grand Canyon was on my bucket list and I walked the rim but I had to pull an oxygen tank. On Sunday I hiked McKee Peak without any of that. I didn't think I'd see my kids grow up and now I'm seeing my grandkids grow up. I work part-time, I have an active life and I love my life and love the donors. I don't take them for granted."

The donated plasma which looks yellow-ish, like beer!

B次元官网网址� Ben Lypka (@BenLypka)

Harbeck said he was always interested in donating when he was younger and began giving his blood shortly after graduating from university. He said he enjoys every aspect of the process.

"It's just such a neat experience," he said. "The people they hire here and other donation places are really wonderful. It makes me feel like I'm involved in something really special."

He said when it was announced that the plasma centre was opening in Abbotsford he was there on the first day. One of the benefits of donating plasma over regular blood is that you can donate weekly as opposed to a much longer time for regular blood. He joked that he always thinks it's cool to see the final result and noting that the plasma looks like a big bag of beer.

"It's an easy thing to do to participate in helping our shared humanity," he said. "The need is so great too."

Aguirre agreed and noted that the Abbotsford plasma donor centre's numbers are slightly below their targets, which is why the centre and the rest of the country have adopted the 450 Challenge. From now through the end of March, the centre and CBS are on a mission to recruit 450 new donors a day. Creating new donors and ensuring that existing donors increase their frequency will help the centre achieve its targets. She said awareness will also help grow the base.

"The community has been outstanding," she said, ahead of the centre's two-year anniversary coming this spring. "What we have here is big enough when people come here they feel welcome B次元官网网址� which our team is very good at making them feel that way. The demand for blood and plasma is rising, but there are not enough donors to keep up with the rising patient need.B次元官网网址�

More plasma!

B次元官网网址� Ben Lypka (@BenLypka)

She pointed out that the 450 Challenge has been launched because across the country there are about 230 new donors per day. Nearly doubling that would be a huge benefit for those who need the help and local caregivers.

"WeB次元官网网址檙e calling on people across the country to be one of the 450 new donors needed every day this winter. Book an appointment today, tomorrow or in the coming weeks at the Abbotsford plasma donor centre to help fuel CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Lifeline," she said.

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Character Abbotsford's next big event is the Character in Action Awards on May 8, 2025. The venue is still be determined, but the link to nominate an adult or youth can be found at