Australia’s most prolific blood and plasma donor, James Harrison, has died at age 88. Known as the “Man with the Golden Arm,” Harrison is credited with saving the lives of 2.4 million babies over the course of more than half a century.
Harrison died “peacefully in his sleep” at a nursing home on Feb. 17, Lifeblood — the Australian Red Cross branch responsible for blood donations — announced on Saturday.
Harrison donated blood and plasma a whopping 1,173 times, according to Lifeblood, every two weeks between 1954 and 2018. All but 10 were from his right arm, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
He “never missed a single appointment,” the agency said, and “expected nothing in return.” Blood donors are not compensated financially under Australian law.
“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.
Harrison’s plasma contained a rare and precious antibody called anti-D, which was discovered in the mid-1960s. It is used in medications to prevent haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) — also known as rhesus disease — a potentially fatal disease that occurs when a pregnant person’s blood is incompatible with that of their unborn baby, prompting their immune system to attack it.
According to Lifeblood, 17% of Australian women who become pregnant end up needing anti-D injections — and most of the country’s supply comes from a pool of less than 200 regular plasma donors.
Harrison became the country’s first and most prolific anti-D donor, according to Lifeblood. In 1999, he received the Medal of the Order of Australia, one of the country’s highest civilian honors. But he downplayed his accomplishments in interviews throughout the years, urging others to roll up their sleeves too.
“Some people say, ‘Oh, you’re a hero,’ ” Harrison told NPR in 2015. “But I’m in a safe room, donating blood. They give me a cup of coffee and something to nibble on. And then I just go on my way. … No problem, no hardship.”
Source| NPR