As the Galyon family mourns the loss of well-known conjoined twins, Ronnie and Donnie Galyon, one of their family members is on a ventilator, fighting COVID-19.
Ronnie and Donnie Galyon, who were from Beavercreek and the world’s oldest conjoined twins, died July 4. Two weeks later, their brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Mary Galyon, were admitted to Miami Valley Hospital with COVID-19.
“My family has already been through enough with my uncles who passed away,” Mary’s daughter, Leada Canter, said. “We can’t even have their funerals. We had to postpone that.”
Canter told News Center 7′s Katy Andersen that Jim was released from the hospital after four days, but Mary was moved to intensive care. She was put into a medically induced coma and placed on a ventilator.
“I know she’s a fighter, but how much can one take,” Canter asked. “It’s horrible. She’s the backbone of our family, and unless we get these antibodies to her, we don’t know what’s in store for her.”
Desperate for any help, doctors told Canter about convalescent plasma – a treatment where people who are fighting COVID-19 receive plasma that contains antibodies from someone who has recovered from the virus.
“We are waiting to see if we can get this plasma so she can get the antibodies in her system,” Canter said.
But with convalescent plasma in high demand, local hospitals are facing a shortage. Canter turned to social media, asking survivors of COVID-19 to donate their plasma to help potentially save lives.
“People who have had COVID, you know what this disease can do. Go out and donate your plasma. There are people’s lives you can save by doing that,” Canter said. “We’re hoping, fingers crossed, that this actually helps, and we can bring [Mary] down off the ventilator. Then I want to bring her home.”
Officials at Community Blood Center in Dayton told said they are getting more request for convalescent plasma than the center can collect and are always in need of more donors.
The Community Blood Center is located along South Main Street in Dayton. People who tested positive for COVID-19 and have recovered can contact the blood center at 1 (800) 388-4483. For more information on donor eligibility and how to donate, click here.
Cox Media Group
