An octogenarian who's known as Australia's "Man With the Golden Arm" has died, after decades of blood and plasma donations that saved the lives of 2.4 million babies, per the BBC. The family of James Harrison says the 88-year-old died in his sleep on Feb. 17 at a nursing home in New South Wales. Harrison had a rare antibody in his blood called anti-D, used to make meds to give to pregnant patients whose bodies are at risk of attacking their unborn child. There are only a couple hundred anti-D donors in Australia.
Harrison had become inspired to start donating blood after having a major chest surgery at age 14 that required blood transfusions; his father's regular blood donations also spurred him, per News.com.au. Harrison himself began donating when he was 18, and he did so every two weeks until he was in his early 80s. He's said to have never missed an appointment. Harrison donated more than 1,100 times over 60 years or so, even earning the world record for blood plasma donations in 2005, though that was overturned by another donor in 2022.
"As an anti-D recipient myself, he has left behind a family that may not have existed without his precious donation," his daughter, Tracey Mellowship, says. "He was also very proud to have saved so many lives without any cost or pain. ... He always said it does not hurt, and the life you save could be your own." As for Harrison, he never considered himself a hero. "I'm in a safe room, donating blood," he said in a past interview, per ABC News. "They give me a cup of coffee and something to nibble on. And then I just go on my way." (More blood donor stories.)
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