1James Harrison, known as “the man with the golden arm”, has been donating blood in Australia for over 60 years. He donated blood for the last time in 2018. The story started in 1951 when the 14-year-old Australian boy had a chest surgery that took several hours. Doctors removed one of his lungs and he was hospitalized for three months. But Harrison was alive thanks to a vast quantity of transfused blood he had received. “I had 13 units of blood and my life had been saved by unknown people,” he explained.
2At the time, Australia’s laws required blood donors to be at least 18 years old and Harrison promised to be a blood donor. After turning 18, Harrison kept his promise, donating blood regularly with the Australian Red Cross. He disliked needles, so he turned away his eyes and tried to ignore the pain whenever one was inserted into his arm.
3“In Australia, there were thousands of babies dying each year but doctors didn’t know why. Women were having numerous miscarriages, and babies were born with brain damage,” explained Jemma, of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. Finally, they discovered that babies were suffering from a strange disease. This condition occurs when there is an incompatibility between the blood types of the mother and the baby. Doctors realized, however, that it is possible to prevent the problem by injecting the pregnant woman with a treatment made from donated plasma with a rare antibody.
4Researchers looked at blood banks to see whose blood might contain this antibody, and found only one donor in New South Wales: James Harrison. By then, Harrison had been donating whole blood regularly for more than a decade. He didn’t hesitate when scientists asked him to participate in the Anti-D Program. Researchers had developed an injection, called Anti-D, using plasma from Harrison’s blood. The first dose was given to a pregnant woman at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in 1967. He continued donating for more than 60 years, and his plasma has been used to make millions of Anti-D injections. Because about 17% of pregnant women in Australia require the Anti-D injections, the blood service estimates Harrison has helped 2.4 million babies in the country.
5Harrison has donated blood and plasma regularly for more than six decades, from age 18 to 81. In total, he donated 1172 times (1162 from his right arm, 10 from his left). “I hope it’s a record that somebody breaks because it will mean they are dedicated to the cause,” Harrison said.
Adapted from: www.washingtonpost.com
