City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is the first person in Florida to become a COVID-19 convalescent plasma donor after recovering from the coronavirus.
His donation will be used to help a critically ill coronavirus patient in the Sunshine State.
Maria Mercedes said her father, who is currently in the hospital on a ventilator, initially had mild symptoms of the coronavirus.
"At first he was fine. He just had a very hard cough but fine," she said. "He could breathe and everything but then when we received the test he was positive [and] we took him immediately to the hospital."
Mercedes, in search of help, connected with Mayor Suarez through Instagram.
Doctors say Suarez's blood could carry the antibodies to help other people who are sick.
Suarez recovered from COVID-19 himself and has twice tested negative for the disease.
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Suarez's donation is experimental and one of the first, but Mercedes says it's the dose of hope her family was waiting for.
"Because of him we have a little more faith that my dad is going to make this battle, so I think he's a hero for us right now and people should follow his footsteps," Mercedes said.
The donation was made with the help of One Blood, Suarez said.
"It's humbling to have an opportunity to have an impact on a families life," Suarez said.
"It's an honor and a privilege to be able to do it, and I also want it to serve as a cause of action and an example that once you defeat COVID-19, you have antibodies ad you have an obligation to be part of the battle and help other families that are battling COVID-19."
