COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A social media campaign has started to help connect a Dublin teenager battling COVID-19 with a plasma donor.
Nick Butler, 17, lives with a compromised immune system. At the beginning of April, he was diagnosed with COVID-19. It is unclear how he contracted the virus. Since then, he has been in the hospital.
A family friend created a Facebook page to help Butler find a plasma donor.
"We're at almost 2,000 people in less than a week," said family friend, Erin Galloway.
Antibodies from someone who has recovered from COVID-19 would help Butler's immune system attack the virus. Given Butler's age, the process has been even more difficult.
"If he was 18, which happens in less than 60 days, he would've been automatically entered into the national plasma therapy study that is run for adults," Galloway said.
Since the page started, many people have reached out to try to be Butler's donor. However, only some qualify.
These are the specific requirements Butler's donor must meet:
- A donor would need confirmation of a lab test showing a previous COVID-19 diagnosis
- A donor would need to have A or AB blood type
- A donor would need to be symptom-free for at least 14 days
The waiting has been tough on the family, but they see the process as an opportunity to help raise awareness.
"The Butlers keep saying if you can keep growing this community online ... or bring attention to the bigger need of plasma donation of COVID-19 positive people, then we can somehow serve a dual purpose," Galloway said.
Butler's friends, teachers, and classmates from Dublin Jerome High School have been sending well wishes. Galloway said his condition is improving with each day.
"It just creates that fighting spirit," she said. "There are more people out there cheering for you. They want to see your small successes every day!"
Family and friends are hopeful Butler will find a donor and make a full recovery.
"Nick really has persevered and [has been] such an overcomer in the past. We believe that is going to happen again. We believe his purpose and his story is so much greater," Galloway said.
If you would like to help Butler or follow his journey, click here. To learn more about plasma donation for COVID-19 patients, click here.