Saved thousands of babies
Record blood donor James Harrison (88) has died
"The man with the golden arm" saved the lives of thousands of babies, including his grandchild. His life was insured for one million Australian dollars, that's how valuable his blood was. 2.4 million children could be treated with his plasma. Even though he didn't like needles!
Kronen Zeitung als bevorzugte Google-Quelle hinzufügen "Never once" did he watch a needle stick, and despite thousands of blood donations, he was never able to overcome his needle phobia.
"An hour of your time as a lifetime for someone else"
But Harrison always thought to himself: "The life you save could be your own and the hour of your time you sacrifice could be a lifetime for someone else," he said in an interview to mark his 60th blood donation anniversary in 2023.
Harrison was born in 1936. At the age of 14, he needed a large amount - 13 liters! - of blood. As a "thank you", he decided to become a volunteer himself from the age of 18 - the minimum age at the time (see video above). Harrison kept his word. He began donating in 1954.
Life-saving serum developed
In 1966, it was discovered that his blood contained unusually strong and persistent antibodies against the Rhesus group D antigen. Blood containing high levels of anti-D antibodies can be processed into immunoglobulin-based products that are used to prevent hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN). His blood thus contributed to the development of a life-saving serum that protected millions of newborns from rhesus incompatibility.
The life you save could be your own and the hour of your time you sacrifice could mean a lifetime for someone else.
James Harrison im Jahr 2023
And Harrison donated and donated. 1163 donations were taken from his right arm over the years, only ten from the other. This is how he got his nickname "the man with the golden arm".
"Hopefully the record will be broken"
Harrison took 40 minutes every three weeks until he was no longer allowed to donate due to his age. The modest Australian says of his record: "It's the only record I hope will be broken."
Harrison was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) on June 7, 1999.
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