An Australian man hailed as the “world’s most prolific blood and plasma donor” has died at age 88, the Australian Red Cross branch Lifeblood announced over the weekend.
James Harrison, whose blood contained a rare antibody used to make lifesaving medication, is credited with saving the lives of more than 2 million babies with his nearly 1,200 donations. He died “peacefully in his sleep” at his nursing home on Feb. 17, Lifeblood announced Saturday.
“He was also very proud to have saved so many lives, without any cost or pain. It made him happy to hear about the many families like ours, who existed because of his kindness,” his daughter Tracey Mellowship, who received the lifesaving antibody herself, shared with Lifeblood. “He always said it does not hurt, and the life you save could be your own.”
Harrison started donating when he was just 18 years old and never missed his biweekly donation appointment, Lifeblood said. He continued to donate until he was 81, when he was medically advised to stop.
The rare antibody found in Harrison’s blood is called Anti-D, and it’s used to make the medication given to mothers whose blood risks attacking the fetuses they’re carrying. Since being discovered in the 1960s, the antibody has been collected from the small pool of people whose bodies produce it. In Australia, Lifeblood said, there are just 200 donors.
“James extended his arm to help others and babies he would never know a remarkable 1,173 times and expected nothing in return,” Lifeblood CEO Stephen Cornelissen said. “He continued to donate even in his darkest days, after the passing of his wife Barbara, who was also a blood donor, and helped inspire his career as a lifesaver.”
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Anti-D is the only known way to prevent the disease known as rhesus D hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn, also known as HDFN. If untreated, the condition can cause children to suffer severe jaundice and anemia, enlarged organs and even death.
Researchers said in 2018 that they’re working on a so-called “James in a Jar project” to create a synthetic mixture of antibodies that prevent HDFN.