Tom Hanks Shares Picture Of Plasma He Donated To Help Fight The Coronavirus
Hanks, who recovered from COVID-19 was bent on giving back. Keeping in line with that, the Saving Private Ryan star donated his plasma for those battling the coronavirus. He took to his official Twitter handle (@tomhanks) on Wednesday to post a photo of the bag of plasma he donated.
The Academy Award winner wrote "here’s last week's bag of plasma. Such a bag! After the paperwork," adding that the process of donating plasma is as easy as taking a nap once the paperwork is done. He also thanked Epidemiologist Anne Rimoin and UCLA.
Hanks discovered that he and his wife Rita Wilson carry Rita Wilson for coronavirus. Wilson took to her official Instagram account (@ritawilson) to give her fans an update, sharing an image of her giving blood. She captioned the image, "a photo of getting tested for antibodies in preparation of donating plasma."
Just like her husband, Rita thanked UCLA's Dr. Anne Rimoin for the study she's working on to help patients recover from COVID-19. During an interview with NPR's podcast Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, Hanks announced that he and Rita were donating blood and plasma, adding they recently discovered that they carry the antibodies.
The globally acclaimed actor said he and his wife will be giving their blood and plasma to the places that are working towards developing what he called the "Hank-ccine." Hanks also opened up about how they have been doing after testing positive for the deadly virus and returning home after practicing self-isolation in Australia.
"We are just fine, dandy," Hanks said. The pair had flu-like symptoms, with Rita been a little worse than Hanks. Rita had a high temperature so she and her husband were isolated to make sure they do not end up giving it to someone else. In Mar. this year, the Sleepless in Seattle stars announced they have been tested positive for coronavirus.
At the time, Hanks was shooting for Baz Luhrmann's upcoming Elvis Presley biopic in Australia, when he and Rita began showing symptoms associated with COVID-19. After about three weeks of self-isolating themselves, the couple returned home to America and have been practicing social distancing.
On Mar. 11, Hanks posted a message on Instagram saying he and Rita felt tired like they had colds and had body aches. Rita had some recurring chills, coupled with slight fevers. Doing the most sensible thing to do in these challenging times, the couple decided to get tested for the coronavirus, and much to their chagrin were found to be positive, he wrote.