Aussie girl Marleigh, 10, talks to A Current Affair about new blood donation rules

New rules for blood and plasma donations in Australia are giving a 10-year-old girl with an incurable disease some hope for the future.

A 10-year old Australian girl who relies on blood donations to stay alive says she has a better chance at life from new rules that allow gay and bisexual men and transgender women to donate plasma.

Mum Kate told A Current Affair her daughter Marleigh relies on blood donations because of an incurable condition that is potentially fatal and has no cure.

Kate fought for years to have the rules changed in Australia that would allow more people to donate lifesaving plasma.

Kate said Marleigh suffered seizures that lasted up to almost 40 hours and their gay male friends were heartbroken they could not donate blood when the young girl was at her sickest.

Mum Kate said when her 10-year old daughter Marleigh was at her sickest, their gay male friends were heartbroken they could not donate lifesaving blood. Picture: A Current Affair/ Nine

“Her immune system is wrongly identifying her healthy brain cells as foreign and attacking her brain,” she said.

“We have so many friends, particularly our gay male friends, who would love to donate for Marleigh.

“All they wanted to do was go and jump in a seat at Lifeblood and donate the blood.”

According to Lifeblood, earlier rules prevented gay and bisexual men and transgender women from donating blood or plasma if they had sex with men in the past three months.

Lifeblood will remove most sexual activity wait times for plasma donations from July 14, which means most people, and anyone who takes pre-exposure prophylaxis that meets other eligibility criteria, will be able to donate plasma.

The lifesaving organisation expects an extra 24,000 Australians will be able to give about 95,000 donations of plasma each year.

Mum Kate said her 10-year old daughter Marleigh would rely on blood donations for life and welcomed the news that gay men would be able to donate plasma. Picture: A Current Affair/ Nine

Lifeblood chief medical officer Jo Pink said with plasma now the donation type most needed by Australian patients, the change came at an important time.

“We’re excited to be able to welcome more people from across the community into our donor centres from next month,” she said.

Dr Pink said the Therapeutic Goods Administration was also in the process of approving their submission to remove gender-based sexual activity rules, which means all donors will be asked the same rules about their sexual activity.

She said their submission to change rules for blood donation included data that showed a six month wait was the safest option for Australian patients.

Lifeblood’s chief medical officer Jo Pink said with plasma now the donation type most needed by Australian patients, the change came at an important time.

“But we are committed to reviewing this as more evidence becomes available,” she said.

“There are many steps that Lifeblood needs to take before we can implement the new gender-neutral assessments, including working with state and territory governments to change the donor questionnaire.

“We hope to be able to implement this part of the changes next year.

“Blood safety is and always will be our top priority but we know the current donation rules have been very difficult for many people in the LGBTQIA+ community.

“While they were put in place to ensure a safe blood supply in the past, we know that they’ve contributed to the stigma faced by the community.”

Health Equity Matters chief executive officer Dash Heath-Paynter said he welcomed this change would could unlock thousands of donations of lifesaving plasma. Picture: A Current Affair/ Nine

Health Equity Matters chief executive officer Dash Heath-Paynter said he welcomed this change that could unlock thousands of donations of lifesaving plasma.

“While there is still more work, the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s approval for gender neutral assessments for blood donation is welcomed,” he said.

“In terms of plasma donations, these changes mean Australia’s regulations are world-leading.”

Kirby Institute head of global health program John Kaldor said Lifeblood had developed pragmatic and innovative new procedures for blood donations with scientific evidence that shifted societal expectations.

Originally published as Aussie girl Marleigh, 10, talks to A Current Affair about new blood donation rules