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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The process lasts anywhere from 14 to 20 hours.
That's how long it takes redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Sam Heckel to pump 1,800 units of plasma – the liquid component of blood – into his body.
Heckel doesn't need the plasma. Just the ADAMTS13 enzyme it contains.
Diagnosed with congenital thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), a rare blood disorder, when he was a toddler, Heckel will likely undergo plasmatherapy to receive the enzyme for the rest of his life.
It's the primary reason Heckel felt compelled to become president of the Syracuse chapter of Uplifting Athletes.