From survivor to advocate

As a mathematician and team manager at Octapharma Plasma, Inc., Rob Marchand is great with numbers. “I’m very precise and I believe there’s a method to determine how to solve most problems, and if you follow that method, you get exact answers,” he explains.

Since joining the company in 2022, Rob and his team - based in Charlotte, North Carolina - have been tasked with solving complex issues that are critical to the business. But shortly after his arrival, Rob faced one of the biggest physical and mental challenges of his life - one that didn’t immediately seem to have any precise method to help him solve it, but which ultimately gave him a new lease on life and a desire to help other patients in a unique way.

Life-threatening defiance

Rob caught a mild case of COVID-19 around Thanksgiving in 2022. It lasted about 10 days. When he experienced similar symptoms a few weeks later, he wasn’t really alarmed. And when he tested negative for COVID-19 that second time around, he assumed he just had a bad cold. He didn’t realise his body was already battling something much more severe.

Looking back, Rob now recalls starting to feel somehow disconnected from reality. His mind became cloudy and he experienced memory loss. He couldn’t eat or drink, and he was soon confined to a chair. He remembers being defiant and not wanting to see a doctor. Finally, on New Year’s Eve 2022, his partner Beth convinced him to go to hospital.

“She saved my life,” he says now. “Without her I wouldn’t be here. I didn’t know how bad I was. Apparently if I’d waited one more day, I wouldn’t be here at all.”

Rob was airlifted to another hospital for care. Doctors diagnosed him with Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP), a life-threatening blood disorder in which blood clots form in veins throughout the body. TTP impacted Rob’s brain, heart, and kidneys. He underwent six rounds of plasma exchange treatment to keep him alive.

Finding community

During his two-week hospital stay, Rob spent time learning as much as he could about his condition. His recovery would be a challenge, and he felt alone as he read just how rare TTP was.

“I was tired, lightheaded, and couldn’t focus. I still struggled to recall even the most basic things. I had to learn how to depend on others - especially as a parent. It was isolating. I didn’t know anyone who had TTP. No one really understood what I was going through.”

Rob eventually discovered the Ree Wynn Foundation (RWF) - a non-profit organisation set up in memory of Reeshemah Wynn who died just hours after receiving her own TTP diagnosis in 2012. The RWF educates and promotes TTP awareness with the aim of reducing the mortality rate and enhancing the quality of life of those living with this rare blood disorder. For the first time since his diagnosis, Rob felt like he had found his community.

Hearing stories from other TTP patients during the RWF’s monthly virtual support group meetings was inspiring and encouraging. And knowing his employer helps develop products for patients with this condition gave Rob a new sense of purpose and tied him even more closely to his work.

Raising awareness

During one of the RWF’s support sessions, Rob learned they periodically participate in blood drives. At this point, he hadn’t shared what he did professionally with the group. He spoke to his managers, and they were receptive to finding ways to work with the Foundation.

This is how – during International Plasma Awareness Week in October 2024 – and in collaboration with the RWF - Rob helped coordinate Octapharma Plasma’s first plasma drive at two donation centres in New Jersey. Many people were made aware of the life-saving difference plasma donations can make, while more than two dozen people came out to support and donate.

“My goal is to increase awareness to make someone else’s journey quicker and easier,” says Rob. “TTP has a high mortality rate if not diagnosed and treated soon enough. It’s what motivates the Ree Wynn Foundation, and why I’m glad Octapharma was able to partner with them.”

Rob continues to support TTP awareness by attending in-person events and participating in speaking opportunities. In fact, he finds these activities therapeutic for him. “It’s been huge to meet others who’ve had TTP,” he says. “I remember walking up to the first person at a support meeting. I couldn’t hold my emotions back. It’s been really hard, and so many people think you’ll just go back to being the person you were before.” Rob takes a deep breath. “But what I’ve learned is that you’re never going back to being that person. You’re a new version of yourself, and that’s okay. It’s tough to accept, but I think I’m finally there.”