‘Man with the golden arm’: Australian whose rare blood helped save millions of babies dies at 88
James Harrison, who helped save more than two million babies by donating blood over 1,100 times across six decades, has died at 88.
According to the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, Harrison, also known as the “man with the golden arm”, had the “precious antibody in his blood” that was used to make a “lifesaving medication called Anti-D, given to mothers whose blood is at risk of attacking their unborn babies”.
Harrison died in his sleep at Peninsula Village Nursing Home on the NSW Central Coast on 17 February.
He began donating in 1954 at 18 and continued regularly until his retirement in 2018 at 81. According to Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, he has helped save the lives of more than 2.4 million Australian babies.
Harrison’s daughter, Tracey Mellowship, fondly remembered him as a generous soul with a wonderful sense of humour.
“James was a humanitarian at heart, but also very funny,” Ms 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.”
She added: “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.”
Harrison’s rare antibodies were crucial in developing Anti-D, the treatment that has protected millions of newborns from Rhesus disease (or Haemolytic Disease of the Foetus and Newborn) – a condition in which a pregnant woman’s blood attacks her unborn baby’s red blood cells, potentially leading to brain damage or even death.
It occurs when a mother has RhD-negative blood, while her baby inherits RhD-positive blood from the father. If the mother has been sensitised to RhD-positive blood – often during a previous pregnancy – her immune system may produce antibodies that attack the baby’s blood as a foreign threat.
“James was a pioneer of our Anti-D programme. More than 3 million doses of Anti-D containing James’ blood have been issued to Aussie mothers with a negative blood type since 1967,” Lifeblood said in a statement on their website.
“He has changed my world and I’m sure he’s done that for many other families, making him a very incredible human,” said Rebecca Ind, a recipient of Harrison’s blood donations during and after her pregnancy 12 years ago.
