Local

‘I know and love I can make a difference’: FDA loosens restrictions on who can donate blood

ELIZABETH TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A decades-old restriction on donating blood has been lifted.

Inside the Elizabeth Township municipal building, chairs are filled with donors.

“I ordered it specifically and it says it’s not just blood it’s liquid life,” said Margaret Felkay who’s a first-time blood donor.

Felkay has waited and waited for this moment nearly 40 years in the making.

“There was a ban for people who had lived in the United Kingdom and Ireland who had lived there for a cumulative of six months or more,” Felkay said.

While Felkay is an American citizen, she lived on an air force base in the United Kingdom during high school deeming her ineligible to donate.

“If you think of the hundreds of thousands of military people stationed overseas and it’s not just them, it’s their wives, their children all of those people over the last 40 years that haven’t been able to donate,” Felkay said.

The reason behind the restrictions for people who lived there between 1980 and 2001 is because of a variant believed to be from mad cow disease and the impact isn’t clear.

“My dad is a pancreatic cancer survivor and when he had surgery, we are all his blood type we weren’t even able to give to him,” Felkay said.

But that’s now changed after extensive research, the FDA lifted the ban allowing Felkay to donate for the very first time.

“I know and love I can make a difference locally by donating blood for our veterans at the VA hospital or any hospital,” Felkay said.

While this week marks the lowest blood donations of the year, she’s hopeful other military families will be inspired by her moves to donate too.

“That opens a whole new avenue of blood supply,” Felkay said.

If you are interested in donating, there are a number of upcoming blood drives in our area:

Tuesday, Jan. 3 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

UPMC-Presbyterian Hospital

Thomas E. Starzl Biomedical Science Tower

South Lobby, S100

200 Lothrop St., Pittsburgh 15213

Tuesday, Jan. 10 from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

UPMC East - Conference Rooms B & C

2775 Mosside Boulevard, Monroeville 15146

Wednesday, Jan. 11 from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital

Conference Room 2131

300 Halket Street, Pittsburgh 15213

Friday, Jan. 13 from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.

UPMC-Shadyside Hospital

Herberman Conference Center

5230 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh 15232

Tuesday, Jan. 17 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

UPMC Presbyterian Hospital

Thomas E. Starzl Biomedical Science Tower, South Lobby, S100

200 Lothrop St., Pittsburgh 15213

Tuesday, Jan. 24 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

University of Pittsburgh

William Pitt Student Union - Lower Lounge

3959 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh 15260

Wednesday, Jan. 25 from 12 to 5:30 p.m.

University of Pittsburgh

William Pitt Student Union - Lower Lounge

3959 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh 15260

Thursday, Jan. 26 from 12 to 5:30 p.m.

University of Pittsburgh

William Pitt Student Union - Lower Lounge

3959 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh 15260

Friday, Jan. 27 from 12 to 5:30 p.m.

University of Pittsburgh

William Pitt Student Union - Lower Lounge

3959 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh 15260

Friday, Jan. 27 from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.

UPMC-Shadyside Hospital

Herberman Conf. Center

5230 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh 15232

Sunday, Jan. 29 from 2 to 7 p.m.

The Islamic Center of Pittsburgh - Lower Area

4100 Bigelow Boulevard, Oakland 15213

Tuesday, Jan. 31 from 12 to 5 p.m.

University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering

Benedum Hall - Room 102

3700 O’Hara St., Pittsburgh 15260

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