In times of crisis, look for the helpers, like plasma donor Antonio Savino
Antonio Savino has always been a helper. For nearly three decades, he's watched his wife battle a rare, chronic condition, knowing there was nothing he could do to fix her suffering. But that feeling of helplessness recently transformed into hope through an unexpected discovery about where her life-saving medication comes from.
Growing up in the 1980s in a Chicago suburb, Savino was shaped by the words of Mr. Rogers: "In times of crisis, look for the helpers." That message resonated deeply, even as a young boy. At just 13 years old, while returning from a family vacation in Florida, Savino remembers witnessing a truck overturned on the highway. As traffic ground to a halt and other drivers sat watching, he didn't hesitate. He got out of the car to help the trapped driver escape. "It never crossed my mind to just sit and watch," he recalled.
That instinct to help would be tested years later when his wife was diagnosed with primary immunodeficiency (PI). The years before her diagnosis were particularly brutal. With young children at home and a wife who was constantly ill, life began to feel hopeless. The family struggled as her condition went unidentified and untreated.
Everything changed when she began plasma-derived therapy treatments, administered monthly in their home. "Plasma therapy has been a complete turnaround," Savino says. The transformation was remarkable—his wife's health stabilized, and their family life began to normalize.
It wasn't until 15 years after her diagnosis that Savino learned a crucial detail about his wife's medication: it comes from plasma donations. The moment she explained this connection, he knew exactly what he needed to do.
For the past six months, Savino has been donating plasma twice a week. The hour-long process has become a routine he embraces wholeheartedly. While he knows his specific donation doesn't go directly to his wife, he feels he's finally found a way to help in some small way. His passion for plasma donation has even trickled down into family members, like his sister and brother-in-law, who have started donating plasma as well.
That is the message he wants to share with all plasma donors and potential donors: "Your gift affects the whole family, because she means so much to us. It's broader than just helping the people who need the plasma. It's helping a mom and a dad, a son and a daughter. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. You are making a true difference in the lives of that person and their family members and friends who interact with them daily. It makes more of a difference than you know."
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