James Harrison (blood donor)
James Harrison | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 December 1936 Junee, Australia |
| Died | 17 February 2025 (aged 88) Umina Beach, Australia |
| Spouse |
Barbara Lindbeck (died 2005) |
| Children | 1 |
James Christopher Harrison OAM (27 December 1936 – 17 February 2025) was an Australian blood plasma donor whose plasma contained antibodies that made it valuable for treatment against Rh disease. He donated 1,173 times from age 18 to 81, making his final donation on 11 May 2018 in compliance with Australian policy prohibiting blood donations from those past age 81. Nicknamed "The Man with the Golden Arm", he is estimated to have saved the lives of over 2.4 million babies.
Early life
[edit]James Christopher Harrison was born in Junee on 27 December 1936.[1][2] In 1951, at the age of 14, he underwent major chest surgery that required a large amount of blood; despite his fear of needles,[3] he made a pledge to give back by donating blood as soon as he reached the required age of 18.[4][5]
Blood donations
[edit]Harrison started donating in 1954.[6][7] After the first few donations, it was discovered that his blood contained unusually strong and persistent antibodies against the D Rh group antigen. Blood which contains a high level of anti-D antibodies can be processed to create immunoglobulin-based products used to prevent haemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN). These products are given to Rh(D) negative mothers of unknown or Rh(D) positive babies during and after pregnancy to prevent the creation of antibodies to the blood of the Rh(D) positive child. This antigen sensitization and subsequent incompatibility phenomenon causes Rh disease, the most common form of HDN.[7][8]
Harrison was one of the founding donors of the New South Wales Rh Program, one of the first in the world, in 1969; he continuously donated from then onwards. Unlike whole blood, blood plasma can be donated as often as once every two weeks, allowing him to reach his 1,000th donation in May 2011. This resulted in an average of one donation every three weeks across 57 years. Commenting on his record, he said: "I could say it's the only record that I hope is broken, because if they do, they have donated a thousand donations."[8] On 11 May 2018, he made his 1,173rd and last donation in compliance with Australian policy prohibiting blood donations from those past age 81.[9]
Through their donations, the members of NSW's Rh Program have provided millions of doses of anti-D and helped prevent thousands of deaths and stillbirths, as well as many more instances of sickness and disability caused by HDN. Over his lifetime, Harrison's donations amounted to tens of thousands of doses worth of antibodies and had contributed to every batch of anti-D produced in NSW.[7] His donations are estimated to have saved the lives of over 2.4 million babies.[9] He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) on 7 June 1999.[10]
In 2007, Harrison was critical of plans to open up Australia's plasma donation to foreign corporations. He believes that opening up the trade will discourage volunteer donations. This opening of trade stemmed from a review of the country's free trade agreement with the United States.[11] In 2011, he was nominated in the New South Wales Local Hero division of the Australian of the Year awards.[1]
Research is being done on creating a mixture of monoclonal antibodies, antibodies made by immortalised B cells in bioreactors, that matches what is naturally produced in the bodies of donors such as Harrison. The project has been colloquially called "James in a Jar".[12]
Personal life
[edit]Harrison was married to Barbara Lindbeck, a fellow blood donor from his hometown of Junee,[3] from an unknown date until her death in 2005.[13] They had a daughter named Tracey,[13] through whom they had two grandsons named Jarrod and Scott.[13] Injections containing Harrison's donations were later used on Tracey when she was pregnant with Scott and again on Jarrod's wife Rebecca during her pregnancies, with Jarrod remarking, "It's pretty cool that part of him went into mum and got me a brother, then protected my kids [and] his great-grandkids."[13]
Death
[edit]On 17 February 2025, at the age of 88, Harrison died in his sleep at the Peninsula Villages nursing home in Umina Beach.[13][14][15][16]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "James Harrison OAM". australianoftheyear.org.au. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
- ^ Newman, Yasmin (2012). "Bloodlines". Red Flag. No. 6. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ^ a b https://www.thesenior.com.au/story/5382599/jamess-generosity-put-him-in-the-guinness-book-of-world-records/
- ^ "James Harrison: Australian Man With Special Blood Type Saves 2 Million Babies". The Huffington Post. 24 March 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
- ^ "James's generosity put him in the Guinness Book of World Records". The Senior. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ We Should Talk About What James Harrison Did... Philip Defranco. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- ^ a b c "Australia's pioneering Rh Program turns 50". Australian Red Cross Lifeblood. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ a b "'Saving Lives'". TEN News. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
- ^ a b Criss, Doug (11 May 2018). "He donated blood every week for 60 years and saved the lives of 2.4 million babies". CNN. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ "James Christopher Harrison". It's An Honour. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ "James Harrison: FTA threatens blood donor system". The Australian. Australia. 19 January 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
- ^ Stevens, Matt (14 May 2018). "'Man With the Golden Arm' Saved Millions of Australian Babies With His Blood". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Aubusson, Kate (2 March 2025). "The man who saved 2.4 million babies, and the lab replicating his remarkable blood". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ^ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/james-harrison-dies-anti-d-blood-plasma-b2707774.html
- ^ https://www.9news.com.au/national/james-harrison-death-australian-blood-donor-who-saved-millions-of-babies-dies-aged-88/f67791ac-2f18-4f9e-9556-b1f655351cba
- ^ https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/man-with-the-golden-arm-countrys-most-prolific-blood-donor-dies-aged-88/news-story/78470c483e92934defb3d549f9b0279c
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