In Melbourne, Australia, an extraordinary man who dedicated his life to helping others through blood plasma donations has passed away at the age of 88. James Harrison, whose unmatched plasma donations are credited with saving the lives of 2.4 million babies, died in a nursing home in New South Wales on February 17, as stated by his grandson, Jarrod Mellowship. Harrison, humble in nature, was astonished when recognized by Guinness World Records in 2005 for making the most blood plasma donations worldwide, Mellowship added.
Despite his fear of needles, Harrison began donating at the age of 18, in 1954, and continued his commendable act until 2018, when he retired at the age of 81, having donated 1,173 times. “He did this for the right reasons,” Mellowship remarked, underscoring that while Harrison appreciated the recognition, he was driven more by compassion than the desire for fame. The record was overtaken in 2022 by Brett Cooper from Walker, Michigan.
Known as the “Man with the Golden Arm,” Harrison was lauded by the Australian Red Cross Blood Service for his selflessness. His plasma carried a rare antibody known as anti-D, crucial for creating injections that prevent hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN), in which the mother’s immune system could attack the fetus’s red blood cells. This condition often arises when the mother has an Rh-negative blood type and the fetus an Rh-positive one.
Australia has about 200 anti-D donors assisting 45,000 mothers and their children annually. Lifeblood, the national agency in charge of blood products, expressed gratitude for Harrison’s legacy. Stephen Cornelissen, Chief Executive of Lifeblood, shared that Harrison had aspired for someone in Australia to eventually surpass his record. “James was not only generous but left a lasting impact worldwide. His belief was that his contributions were as vital as any donor’s, emphasizing that everyone can make a difference as he did,” Cornelissen noted.
The antibody donations were personally beneficial for Harrison’s family too. Jarrod Mellowship shared that his own mother, Tracey, Harrison’s daughter, needed the treatment when he and his brother were born. Similarly, Rebecca Mellowship, Jarrod’s wife, required the treatment for three of their four children.
Speculation suggests Harrison’s high anti-D concentrations developed after blood transfusions he received following major lung surgery at age 14. “His father told him that he survived thanks to blood donors, and on his 18th birthday, he started giving blood himself,” Jarrod Mellowship recounted.
The anti-D’s application in combating hemolytic disease was uncovered in the 1960s, a fortunate development for countless mothers and babies. Harrison, originally from Junee, New South Wales, leaves behind his sister Margaret Thrift, his daughter, two grandsons, and four great-grandchildren.
