Blood donor James Harrison: “Man with the golden arm” died

At first glance, James Harrison was a retired, Australian train employee. At second glance he saved 2.4 million babies – with donations of blood. For over 60 years he donated his blood every two weeks, which contained rare antibodies.

James Christopher Harrison was born on December 27, 1936 in the city of Junee in New South Wales. His lifelong commitment to donating blood began after his own hospital stay: at the age of 14, he underwent great lung operation. He later described how he woke up in the intensive care unit and found that he had received numerous blood transfusions.

In 1966, scientists made a discovery to change Harrison’s life: Blood plasma, which contains the unusual antibody of anti-D-immunoglobin, can be administered during pregnancy to prevent the so-called hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN). This can cause serious complications such as miscarriage. In other words, anti-D helps the mother not to repay the unborn baby. In Australia, around 17 percent of all expectant mothers need anti-d.

Soon afterwards, the doctors discovered that Harrison’s blood group is rare. Because he was Rhesus-negative, and anti-D could be obtained from his blood. Not only that: he even carried unusually high concentrations of anti-D. Scientists were never sure why. However, they speculated that the blood transfusions from his youth could be responsible.

“The antibody from his plasma was administered 2.4 million babies,” confirms Jemma Falkenmire, a spokeswoman for the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, in an interview with the newspaper on Monday.

Scientists in Australia have used James Harrison’s plasma since 1967 to produce over 3 million doses of the anti-D immunoglobin injection. According to the Australian Red Cross, every ampoule administered in the country contains its donated antibodies. Because only a tiny amount is required to prevent the disease HDN during a pregnancy classified as endangered.

Harrison hated needles and preferred to be distracted by conversations during a donation. “I look at the nurses, the ceiling, the spots on the wall, everything, just not the needle. It is too macabre, I find to see how to stab yourself with the needle,” he said in an interview six years ago.

“Having a donor with this amount of antibodies was incredibly important for Australia,” Falkenmire from the Australian Red Cross to the “Washington Post”. His lively donor activity – he brought it to 1173 donations – also explains his unofficial honorary title “Man with the Golden Arm”.

“They asked me to be a guinea of ​​trucks, and since then I have donated,” Harrison told him in 2018 when he stopped donating on the advice of doctors. They were concerned about the effects of the many donations at his age. He also exceeded the legal age limit for donors at the age of 81. “I would go on if they let me,” said Harrison at the time. Now he died at the age of 88 in a suburb north of Sydney.

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