Tom Hanks vs. COVID-19; Actor Shares Photo Of Plasma He Donated
Tom Hanks is now more than just a Hollywood A-lister, award-winning actor, filmmaker, and American cultural icon. He is now a COVID-19 survivor and a possible lifesaver as well.
It is after the 63-year-old actor made an effort to give back and donated his blood plasma at a Los Angeles hospital to help others in their fight against the deadly coronavirus.
In an Instagram post, Hanks revealed his donation after posting a photo of his bag of plasma.
"Here's last week's bag of plasma. Such a bag!" wrote Hanks, who donated together with his 63-year-old wife, Rita Wilson.
"After the paperwork, it's as easy as taking a nap. Thanks, @arimoin and UCLA. Hanx."
It could be recalled that Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson tested positive for coronavirus last March while they were staying in Australia. After a few weeks in isolation and medication, the couple survived and managed to go back on their feet.
Speaking to "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" podcast, the "Cast Away" actor expressed their willingness to donate after learning that the plasma of a COVID-19 survivor could cure patients currently fighting for their lives.
"We have not only been approached, we have said, 'Do you want our blood? Can we give plasma?'" Hanks revealed.
The actor also said that they are looking into places interested in experimenting on their plasma to find a cure or vaccine. When developed though, Tom jokingly said he would like to be named it after himself.
"And, in fact, we will be giving it now to the places that hope to work on what I would like to call the Hank-ccine," Hanks said.
"A lot of the questions [are] what do we do now? Is there something we can do? And, in fact, we just found out that we do carry the antibodies."
Tom And Rita's COVID-19 Battle
It was on March 11 when Hanks took to Instagram to confirm that he and Rita tested positive for coronavirus. The actor said that they experienced symptoms like fatigue, colds, body aches, and slight fever before deciding to have their conditions checked.
The couple diligently followed medical protocols and isolated themselves from other people to prevent spreading the virus.
Since then, both Hanks and Rita utilized their social media accounts to keep their fans updated on the status of their health.
After two weeks, Hollywood fans breathed a sigh of relief after the couple successfully recovered from the coronavirus. On March 28, they flew back to Los Angeles on a private plane. They were spotted touching down the runway and doing some celebratory dance before entering the terminal.
They were then photographed driving together through their Los Angeles home. Both stars were all smiles as they headed home. Tom was seen wearing a gray shirt paired with a baseball cap while driving a Range Rover, while Rita was seating pretty at the passenger seat.