Roll Up Your Sleeves: An Update to Blood Donation Policies

I am happy to announce that one of my previous blog posts, It’s In You To Give, requires an update. Canadian Blood Services (CBS) updated their policies on April 28, 2025, to allow Canadians living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) to donate blood. I didn’t catch wind of this news until just a few weeks ago, so I thought that I’d do my part in spreading the good news.

Now there are some caveats here. Certain Disease Modifying Therapies (DMTs) and symptom-management drugs commonly used to treat MS are on the list of medications that make someone ineligible to donate blood. The list of common medications that are not a barrier to donating blood on the CBS website does not include any MS DMTs. I called CBS to enquire about my eligibility. The nurse that I spoke with at CBS confirmed that Kesimpta is on the list of medications that are not a barrier to donating blood.

If you have read my previous blog post on this topic, you know that several years ago I jumped through some hoops in order to gain an exemption that would allow me to donate blood notwithstanding my diagnosis with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) and related long-term low-dose prednisone use (why have one chronic disease when you can have two?). The nurse that I spoke with at CBS was also able to confirm that they can still see that exemption on my account. My path to becoming a blood donor has been a long and frustrating one. Just as I gained an exemption allowing me to donate with CAH and while taking prednisone, I became pregnant and therefore ineligible again. Then the pandemic hit. Then came my MS diagnosis. I genuinely thought that I might never be able to donate blood, other than to the mosquitoes of Algonquin Provincial Park. With my newly established eligibility confirmed, I have scheduled my first ever blood donation!

If you want to enquire about the status of your DMT, I suggest giving CBS a call. They were extremely helpful in addressing my questions and they were happy to hear that I was keen to donate now that the eligibility rules have changed. I just wish that I had learned about the policy change sooner.

According to CBS, donor eligibility undergoes frequent revisions based on current scientific evidence. So if you aren’t currently eligible to donate blood but want to, it’s always worth keeping an eye on the latest criteria. Out of date restrictions can leave people incorrectly assuming that they're ineligible.

Whether you are newly eligible to donate blood courtesy of this policy change by CBS or always have been eligible, I hope that you will consider doing so. Giving blood is one of the most generous donations that you can make. A single blood donation can save up to three lives. Don’t forget that it burns about 500-650 calories for your body to replace the blood (it’s almost like a free workout!). Still need convincing? CBS is currently running a contest until March 31, 2026, that allows donors to enter to win two round-trip tickets to travel to any Air Canada scheduled destination worldwide.

For those in Canada: www.blood.ca