James Harrison’s plasma contained a rare antibody that was used to save the lives of millions of babies in Australia.
MELBOURNE, VIC — A man whose blood donations helped save the lives of millions of babies in Australia has died at the age of 88, according to the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, known as Lifeblood.
According to the organization, James Harrison OAM, often referred to as the “Man with the Golden Arm”, donated plasma over 1,100 times in his life, saving the lives of more than two million babies.
Harrison reportedly died “peacefully in his sleep” on Monday, Feb. 17, the Australian Red Cross said.
Harrison’s blood contained the Anti-D antibody, a rare and essential antibody that is used to make medication for mothers whose blood is at risk of attacking their unborn children, the organization said.
Harrison received the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1999 in recognition for his donations and support of Lifeblood.
Having received multiple blood transfusions after having lung surgery as a 14-year-old, Harrison decided to give back, the Australian Red Cross said. Harrison reportedly began donating blood in 1954 at the encouragement of his father, who was also a blood donor, and continued doing so every two weeks until his retirement in 2018 at the age of 81.
Harrison’s daughter, Tracey Mellowship, said he would be greatly missed by their family, mostly for his sense of humor.
“James was a humanitarian at heart, but also very funny,” Mellowship said. “In his last years, he was immensely proud to become a great-grandfather to two beautiful grandchildren, Trey and Addison. As an Anti-D recipient myself, 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. He always said it does not hurt, and the life you save could be your own.”
Lifeblood CEO Stephen Cornelissen AM also extended his thanks to 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,” 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. James extended his arm to help others and babies he would never know a remarkable 1173 times and expected nothing in return. He continued to donate even in his darkest days, after the passing of his wife Barbara, who was also a blood donor, and helped inspire his career as a lifesaver. He leaves behind an incredible legacy, and it was his hope that one day, someone in Australia would beat his donation record. On behalf of Lifeblood, and the entire Australian community, we thank James for the incredible life-saving contribution he made and the millions of lives he saved.”
Lifeblood said they hope Harrison can still save lives, as his blood and that of other donors has been used to recreate the Anti-D antibody in a lab. Lifeblood said it hopes that breakthrough will one day be able to help prevent Hemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn (HDFN) worldwide.
More information on Harrison and the Australian Red Cross can be found at this link.
