James Harrison, an Australian man who saved the lives of more than two million babies through blood donation, has died at age 88.
Nicknamed the “man with the golden arm,” Harrison donated his blood over 1,100 times, providing his plasma every two weeks for more than six decades.
What made his donations particularly special is that he had a rare antibody that can protect babies from rhesus disease while they’re in the womb.
His journey began at the age of 14, when he required several blood transfusions while he underwent lung surgery.
Grateful for the donations and inspired by his blood donor father, he began donating his blood regularly and continued to do so until he was 81 — the upper age limit for plasma donations in his country.
Harrison’s blood contained a rare antibody known as Anti-D, which can be used to make medication to give to pregnant women with rhesus disease.
Rhesus disease isn’t harmful to the mother, but it causes her antibodies to destroy her baby’s blood cells, which can be fatal.
Since Anti-D was discovered in the 1960s, it has saved the lives of millions of unborn babies, and expectant mothers have relied on the kindness of the small group of people who could provide the anti-body.
But no one has ever been as extraordinarily generous as Harrison.
“James was a remarkable, stoically kind, and generous person who was committed to a lifetime of giving and he captured the hearts of many people around the world,” Lifeblood CEO Stephen Cornelissen said in a statement.
“He leaves behind an incredible legacy, and it was his hope that one day, someone in Australia would beat his donation record.”
While he received numerous awards for his lifetime of service, including the Medal of the Order of Australia — the country’s highest honor — Harrison remained humble about his incredible contributions.
“James extended his arm to help others and babies he would never know a remarkable 1173 times and expected nothing in return,” Cornelissen said.
“It was James’ belief that his donations were no more important than any other donors’, and that everyone can be special in the same way that he was.”
Harrison passed away peacefully in his sleep in his nursing home on Monday, February 17.
His daughter, Tracey Mellowship, said that he would be greatly missed, as he was a humanitarian who also had a wonderful sense of humor.
She praised his legacy, as an anti-D recipient herself, knowing “he has left behind a family that may not have existed without his precious donations.”
“He was also very proud to have saved so many lives, without any cost or pain. It made him happy to hear about the many families like ours, who existed because of his kindness,” she added.
“He always said it does not hurt, and the life you save could be your own.”
