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The author (right) and her husband (left).
Laura Grace Tarpley
People often write off donating plasma as a side hustle for college kids, but my husband and I think the extra money can be worth it.
It doesn’t take a lot of extra effort, and your plasma is used to help people in medical emergencies.
We earned $1,500 in a month and put it toward a new phone and a bigger down payment on a car.
When I tell family and friends that I donate plasma, their response is usually along the lines of, “I thought only college kids did that.”
After having this conversation a few times, I realized many were under the impression that donating didn’t pay enough to be worth the time of adults who already had full-time jobs. But they are always taken aback when I tell them how much my husband and I have earned from giving plasma. In fact, together we made more than $1,500 in our first month of donating.
How donating plasma works
Donating plasma isn’t the same thing as donating blood. Plasma is one part (a large, crucial part) of your blood, along with red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, and it sends nutrients and hormones throughout your body.
When you donate plasma, a phlebotomist puts a needle in your arm and draws blood into a machine. The machine sorts the plasma from the rest of your blood, keeps the plasma, then returns the other elements to your body. The plasma is used for therapies and treatments for issues like autoimmune disorders and hemophilia (a bleeding disorder that keeps blood from clotting the way it should).
The first time I donated was a longer process than any other time. It took about two and a half hours, because I had to create an account and watch safety videos. From the time the needle goes into your arm, though, donating only takes about 45 minutes. After the first time, donation could take as little as an hour if there isn’t a long line — and you don’t need an appointment.
Each visit, an employee does a health check to make sure …read more
Source:: Business Insider