When Jarrod Wilkinson started donating blood in 2009, he knew he was helping save the lives of others - but he had no idea he was doing the same for himself.
The 33-year-old IT assistant director lives with haemochromatosis, a genetic condition affecting 1 in every 160 Australians.
It is the most common genetic disorder in Australia, affecting mainly men and women after menopause.
Haemochromatosis, which causes the body to store too much iron, is linked to cancer and organ damage. The primary treatment is to reduce the excess iron by blood-letting, typically around once every three months.
"It's most important to obviously detect [haemochromatosis] before your iron levels get too high and do damage to your body," Wilkinson said.
"But after that, the treatment is just to blood-let, and I chose to donate my blood rather than have it discarded."
Wilkinson discovered he had haemochromatosis a few years ago after he spent a year travelling, where he wasn't able to donate blood.
"I went to check my iron levels after I went vegetarian just to make sure they didn't drop too low and it turns out I had extremely high iron," Wilkinson said.
"So the doctor did a test for haemochromatosis and sure enough, not only did I have it, but all my family members too and they are receiving treatment for it."
73,000 bags of blood discarded annually
Recent Australian Red Cross Lifeblood research found that around 73,000 bags of blood taken from patients with haemochromatosis at pathology and GP services were discarded every year.
With demand for blood at an all-time high, the discarded bags of blood are a wasted opportunity to save lives.
Donations from people with haemochromatosis currently save up to 111,000 lives a year, and with greater awareness Lifeblood believes that number would only grow.
Dr Rebekah Hoffman, chair of Royal Australian College of General Practitioner for NSW and ACT, said that blood donations from people with haemochromatosis was completely safe to use in transfusions.
"The only difference is they have additional iron. It's completely safe. There's no disease at all," Dr Hoffman said.
"It's really common in men and women after menopause, because women bleed every month [before menopause], which means they actually remove iron themselves from their bloodstream."
In 1988, Australia became one of the first countries to accept blood donations from people with haemochromatosis.
Lifeblood carried on that legacy in 2022, becoming the first blood service in the world to accept plasma donations from the same group, which can be done between blood donation sessions.
"[Accepting] plasma donations was a world-leading initiative," Haemochromatosis Australia spokesperson Matthew Howie said.
"Instead of being treated as haemochromatosis patients, [they] are treated as lifesaving blood donors."
Haemochromatosis Australia is a support group that tracks the number of donations made and lives saved by haemochromatosis patients.
According to Australian Red Cross relationship manager Sally Deveson, it hasn't always been easy for people with haemochromatosis to donate blood.
"There was a lot of paperwork, but now with the high ferritin app, it's so streamlined," Deveson said. "Once the GP knows about the app, they can get the pathology results through to Lifeblood and our medical officers."
To donate, call 13 14 95 or visit donate.blood.com.au. Those with haemochromatosis should seek a referral from their GP using Lifeblood's High Ferritin App.
