I am fascinated by plasmapheresis machines. These pieces of technology are used to extract plasma from an individual's blood, and return the blood cells back to you. I am a current plasma donor, as well as a mechanical engineering student, and being able to watch the whole process of how this machine works is one of the most inspiring experiences I am able to witness regularly. Not only is the process itself fascinating to watch, but knowing it makes the world a better place just adds to the amazement of it all. To explain it simply, plasma is the main protein of blood which is used to heal injuries, transport nutrients, and prevent infections. There are hundreds of thousands of people who rely on plasma based medications because they lack the essential protein in their blood. The plasmapheresis machines are connected to donors by a needle and tubing to pull out the blood, where then the plasma is extracted into a bag. The blood is returned and pulled again until the needed amount of plasma is complete. The history of plasma treatment originates from 1890 where scientist Emil Von Behring began experimenting with the topic. He exposed horses to toxic bacteria that causes a serious infection known as diphtheria. This infection caused the horse's blood to become rich in antibodies. Once the animal healed from the infection he would extract the blood and immunize humans with it. Despite not being able to separate plasma from whole blood at the time, this process is the equivalent of plasma today. Many more experiments and trials related to whole blood and plasma were conducted throughout the years. It wasn't until 1965 when Dr. Víctor Grifols-Lucas was able to successfully create a plasmapheresis process to extract plasma from blood and then to return the blood to the donor. The history of plasma extraction has come a long way, and it has become a much simpler and efficient process, helping hundreds of thousands of people.

My mother has full legal custody over me due to the alcohol addiction my paternal gene cannot overcome. I know it’s odd to call a father “paternal gene”, however I believe the term ‘father’ has more meaning than just genetics. A father is one that is there to support you financially, physically, and emotionally. That is what addiction took away from me, a father. I lived with my addict parent till I was about three years old, then my mom kicked him out knowing he was becoming a danger to me. He would come and visit on Sundays, but I did not enjoy his company because even from a young age I knew the type of person he was. So in relation to living with a parent struggling with addiction, I don’t have much experience with that. However, I do have experience with addiction causing the separation of a family member. Growing up without a father has more challenges than people realize, not only for me, but for my mother as well. Lacking that fatherly connection provides plenty of insight on how choosing to respond to life’s challenges shapes our life. I felt a form of abandonment from a parent choosing alcohol over his own child. It left me feeling empty and as if I wasn’t ever good enough, this resulted in me having high functioning anxiety and attachment issues with people. I would do everything in my power to hold on to people that were not healthy to have in my life. For the last 19 years my mother has had to support me emotionally and financially all by herself, making her life harder than it needed to be as well. She has helped me to learn my worth and has provided the support I needed that my father could not. I feel this statement is relatively accurate. How we choose to respond to challenges is what shapes our life. It is the "how" of that statement that makes it accurate. Making a definite decision in life is not what shapes us, it is the process of how we respond to it that builds our life structure. The easy way in life could have been to just follow in his footsteps, by giving up on everything, not making something of myself. He chose to handle his life challenges with substance abuse; not only affecting himself, but the people around him. Instead, I chose the hard path in becoming the person he never could be; an individual who has ambition to become someone exceptional. I chose to attend college and become an established individual despite having a family member with addiction. It wasn’t that decision that shaped me, it was how I handled the life struggles leading up to that decision that influenced the person I am today.

I am fascinated by plasmapheresis machines. These pieces of technology are used to extract plasma from an individual's blood, and return the blood cells back to you. I am a current plasma donor, as well as a mechanical engineering student, and being able to watch the whole process of how this machine works is one of the most inspiring experiences I am able to witness regularly. Not only is the process itself fascinating to watch, but knowing it makes the world a better place just adds to the amazement of it all. To explain it simply, plasma is the main protein of blood which is used to heal injuries, transport nutrients, and prevent infections. There are hundreds of thousands of people who rely on plasma based medications because they lack the essential protein in their blood. The plasmapheresis machines are connected to donors by a needle and tubing to pull out the blood, where then the plasma is extracted into a bag. The blood is returned and pulled again until the needed amount of plasma is complete. The history of plasma treatment originates from 1890 where scientist Emil Von Behring began experimenting with the topic. He exposed horses to toxic bacteria that causes a serious infection known as diphtheria. This infection caused the horse's blood to become rich in antibodies. Once the animal healed from the infection he would extract the blood and immunize humans with it. Despite not being able to separate plasma from whole blood at the time, this process is the equivalent of plasma today. Many more experiments and trials related to whole blood and plasma were conducted throughout the years. It wasn't until 1965 when Dr. Víctor Grifols-Lucas was able to successfully create a plasmapheresis process to extract plasma from blood and then to return the blood to the donor. The history of plasma extraction has come a long way, and it has become a much simpler and efficient process, helping hundreds of thousands of people.