My provider advised me to self-quarantine, stay hydrated, rest, take a fever reducer such as Tylenol, and to go to the hospital emergency department if my breathing got worse. Thankfully, that never happened.

My fever broke after about two weeks, and my breathing gradually improved. But I continued to experience weakness and muscle pain, along with occasional shortness of breath. I was worried I'd never be well enough to resume my active lifestyle – yoga, weight training, and cardio exercises.

Finally, after about four months, I felt like myself again. When I heard about the need for COVID-19 convalescent plasma*, or CCP, I didn't hesitate to sign up to donate. The donation itself took about an hour. That's a little longer than a standard blood donation, but it's still a comfortable and painless experience. I donated two units – one unit for plasma, and one unit for blood platelets.

I feel very fortunate that I recovered from COVID-19, and I'm happy that I was able to do something that might help others. I don't want anyone else to experience serious complications or even death from this terrible virus. Donating my plasma was an offering of deep gratitude to the universe. I consider it a wonderful blessing to have been able to potentially ease the suffering of others.

If you've been sick with COVID-19, I'm so sorry you experienced that. But I'm here to tell you, there's some good that can come out of it. Here's more information about donating convalescent plasma.

*Plasma is the yellow, liquid part of blood. COVID-19 convalescent plasma, or CCP, is plasma from patients who have recovered from the virus. CCP may contain antibodies that would help others fighting COVID-19 to recover. The Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma to be given to patients hospitalized with the virus, and it's also being studied for the treatment of COVID-19. The Department of Defense has a goal to collect 10,000 units by the end of September.