Walter Lamkin, right, at Mercy Hospital St. Louis, and a nurse holding one of his donated bags of plasma, left. Courtesy of Mercy Hospital St. Louis

General counsel Walter Lamkin survived the coronavirus and not only lived to tell about it but became one of the first survivors in St. Louis to donate his plasma to help others.

For the past nine years, Lamkin has been general counsel of DCM Group in St. Louis, a commercial real estate development, property management and construction company. Now he is on a mission to convince other survivors across the country to also volunteer to donate plasma.

Lamkin talked with Corporate Counsel on Monday about his ordeal and what he's doing since his recovery. Here are excerpts from that conversation, edited for clarity and brevity:

Corporate Counsel: How did you catch the virus and when?

Walter Lamkin: I'm fairly certain I caught it in Colorado between Feb. 6 and March 9. I am 69 and am in fairly good shape. I am a skier, climber and hiker, and we have another home in Vail. For the past five years, I have volunteered on the mountain as a "mountain host." I meet people literally from all over the world.

The symptoms hit me in mid to late February in Vail. I think I had a fever one night and a cough. I also had a bad sinus infection and my doctor called in a prescription for Z-pak [the antibiotic azithromycin] for me. That one night I was so cold I couldn't get warm, even with blankets layered on. I took an Aleve that night and felt fine the next day. I went out skiing that day, though the cough didn't go away. I didn't really think much about it.

CC: When did you realize you had the disease?

WL: I flew back to St. Louis on March 9 with the intent of flying to Costa Rica the next day for a family wedding, but I didn't feel great. I talked to my family doctor and he recommended I not go. I was disappointed but agreed.

The next day I got an email from the Eagle County, Colorado, health department saying I may have been exposed to someone who tested positive for the coronavirus.

On March 12 I found out that one of my friends was in a coma from the virus, and that got my attention. I have since learned that at least 20 of my friends out there have tested positive.

I called my doctor and [was tested the next day, but the test wasn't valid]. Mercy Hospital St. Louis then opened a drive-thru testing facility on March 14 and I got in there, but didn't get the results back until March 21. On the same day that I learned that my test was positive, I found out that my friend [in the coma] from Vail had died. That was quite sobering for me.

CC: Is your company temporarily closed down?

WL: The commercial real estate part is closed, but the property management and construction parts are continuing their operations.

CC: Did you stop going in to work?

WL: I am the lone attorney and work remotely a good deal of the time. I can go in and create documents if I need to, but mostly I can do almost everything remotely, farming out certain work to private law firms. Even in Vail, I wear a Bluetooth device in my ski helmet, and if my CEO calls I just press the side of my helmet and answer it. He can hear the swish, swish of my skis, but that is part of our relationship.

He understands and appreciates the value of a general counsel. I am primarily there for my 42 years of legal experience. I've seen a lot and done a lot and look at myself as a devil's advocate.

CC: How did you protect your family? Did you isolate from them?

WL: I kept my distance, well, as much as you can in a house with nine people. When I came back on March 9—in my house were my wife, one of our daughters, her husband and their two little boys who were staying with us while they waited on their new home to close.

Then on March 11, when President [Donald] Trump announced he was closing the borders to Europe, I got on the computer and got tickets for our other daughter, her husband and their baby to join us so they did not get stuck over there.

No one in my house has gotten sick. I think I was through it [the virus] by the time I got back home.

CC: When did you know for sure you were clear?

WL: The St. Louis County health department monitored me every day, until April 2 when I got a letter releasing me from quarantine.

That sounds great, but then you become the delivery boy and grocery shopper for everyone in the family and other households. That's what I'll be doing all afternoon—grocery shopping for seven families.

CC: Can you talk about donating blood and why you decided to do that?

WL: I got a call on April 4 from a specialist at Mercy Hospital who was trying to find people who have been through it and have the antibodies, and who are willing to donate their plasma. I went in a week ago Monday and learned I was the first person there to do it.

I've never given blood before, but they hooked me up to a machine that separates the plasma from the blood and then put the blood back in my body. They took 660 milliliters [about 22 ounces] of plasma.

They said that amount would help three people. The doctor later told me that people who got my blood were doing well and recovering at a much quicker rate than expected. I can't donate again for four weeks, but I intend to. I could not look myself in the mirror if I didn't do this.

CC: Is there anything you'd like to say to other general counsel?

WL: If you've been through it, go get tested and get in there and donate blood.

If you've got people you can affect and get them to help others by donating blood, send the message. I've sent out emails to everyone I know across the country—if you can help people, do it.

This is my mission now. I have been to the mountaintop and back. Life is good, and I am just trying to make a difference.