An Australian man credited with saving 2.4 million babies through his record-breaking blood plasma donations over six decades has died aged 88. Jarrod Mellowship said Tuesday his grandfather, James Harrison, died in a nursing home on the Central Coast of New South Wales.
James Harrison, also known as the "Man with the Golden Arm," made his first blood plasma donation in 1954 after undergoing major chest surgery, and he continued to donate for the next 60 years, eventually setting a Guinness World Record for the most blood donated by an individual.
Harrison's donations were used to develop a lifesaving medication called Rho(D) immune globulin, also known as RhIG or RhoGAM, which is used to treat a condition called Rhesus disease that can occur in pregnant women.
Rhesus disease, also known as Rh incompatibility or Rh disease, is a condition that occurs when a woman with Rh negative blood type is pregnant with a baby who has Rh positive blood, which can lead to an immune reaction and the production of antibodies against the baby's red blood cells.
Harrison's rare blood type, which lacks the Rhesus factor, made his plasma the perfect match for the development of RhIG, and his donations are estimated to have saved the lives of 2.4 million babies.
Over the years, Harrison became a local hero and a beloved figure in his community, and his selfless contributions to the medical field have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Medal of the Order of Australia and a Guinness World Record for the most blood donated by an individual.
According to Jarrod Mellowship, his grandfather was a kind and generous man who never sought to draw attention to himself, but his legacy will live on through the countless lives he touched and the millions of babies he helped save.