James Harrison: Australian whose blood saved 2.4 million babies dies

James Harrison, a blood donor who made significant contributions to global healthcare, has passed away. His donated plasma saved the lives of over two million newborns. His passing is a great loss to the medical community, and his dedication will always be remembered.

According to a statement released by his family on Monday, James Harrison passed away peacefully in his sleep at a nursing home in New South Wales, Australia, on February 17th, at the age of 88. Mr. Harrison, known as "the man with the golden arm" in Australia, possessed a rare antibody called Anti-D in his blood. This antibody was used to create medication to protect unborn babies in pregnant women who might be at risk.

The Australian Red Cross Lifeblood expressed its deepest condolences for Mr. Harrison's passing. According to the center, Mr. Harrison received a blood transfusion at the age of 14 due to major chest surgery, after which he resolved to become a blood donor. He began donating plasma at the age of 18 and continued every two weeks until he was 81 years old.

Mr. Harrison's daughter, Tracey Mellowship, stated that her father was "very proud to have saved so many lives and at no cost or pain." She recalled, "He always said that donating blood doesn't hurt, and the life you save might be your own." Mellowship and Harrison's two grandchildren were also beneficiaries of Anti-D immunoglobulin.

Anti-D injections protect unborn babies from a deadly blood disease called hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN). This disease occurs during pregnancy when the mother's red blood cells are incompatible with the fetus's red blood cells. The mother's immune system treats the baby's blood cells as a threat and produces antibodies to attack them, which can severely damage the baby, leading to severe anemia, heart failure, and even death. Before the development of Anti-D interventions in the mid-1960s, one in two babies diagnosed with HDFN died.

It is currently unknown why Mr. Harrison's blood was rich in Anti-D antibodies, but some reports suggest it was related to the large blood transfusion he received at the age of 14. Australia has fewer than 200 Anti-D donors, but according to the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, they help approximately 45,000 mothers and their babies each year.

Lifeblood has been collaborating with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Australia to cultivate Anti-D antibodies in the laboratory by replicating the blood and immune cells of Mr. Harrison and other donors. Researchers involved in the study hope that one day laboratory-produced Anti-D can be used to help pregnant women worldwide. "Creating a new therapy has always been the 'holy grail'," said David Irving, Research Director at Lifeblood. He noted that donors who are committed to donating blood regularly and are able to produce antibodies of sufficient quality and quantity are very scarce.