In 2022, Michael Klim shared a part of his life with the world that he’d been keeping a secret for three years. In an interview with The Project, Michael opened up about his diagnosis of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) in the hope that his story could raise much-needed awareness for this rare condition. During his interview, Michael mentioned his treatment involved Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIg), a product made from human plasma donations. For most people, this little fact was overshadowed by the revelation that one of Australia’s greatest Olympians was in the battle of his life — but the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood saw the impact this passing comment could have.

Using Michael as our vehicle, the announcement was strategically aligned with International Plasma Awareness Week to allow Lifeblood to enter sport and lifestyle media conversations by profiling Michael’s health journey and personifying the need for plasma donations.