Born in Australia, a man who saved the lives of 2.4 million children thanks to his record-breaking plasma donations over the course of six decades. He passed away at the age of 88, his family reported on Tuesday.
James Harrison, a retiree from the iron ore industry, passed away at home in the central suburb of New South Wales on February 17, five weeks after being there, according to his grandson Jerrard Milshiba.
Milshiba, according to the Associated Press agency, said that he suddenly passed away, having been recognized in the Guinness World Records 2005 as the person with the highest number of plasma donations in the world.
Notably, Harrison began making blood donations after reaching a significant milestone in 1954 and continued this practice until forced to retire in 2018 at the age of 81.
Lifeblood, the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, noted that Harrison was dubbed "The Man with the Golden Arm." Lifeblood, the national organization for blood collection and distribution, stated that he is credited with saving 2.4 million children through his plasma donations.
Harrison's plasma contains a rare antibody, known as anti-D. This antibody is used for producing injections that protect babies from fatal conditions known as hemolytic disease of the newborn.
In Australia, only 200 donors of anti-D help 45,000 mothers and their babies every year. Lifeblood’s general director, Steve Cornelissen, noted that Harrison hoped that someone in Australia one day breaks his donation record.
There are suggestions that Harrison developed high concentrations of anti-D due to the frequent donation of his blood during a major operation at the age of 14. The role of anti-D in the battle against GBS was first discovered only in the 1960s.
