Despite needle phobia

Blood plasma donor saved thousands of babies’ lives

Stories that life writes: James Harrison (87) from Australia has completed 1173 blood plasma donations in over 60 years. "The man with the golden arm" has saved the lives of thousands of babies, and 2.4 million children have been treated with his plasma. Even though he doesn't like needles. "Never once" did he watch a needle stick. But he always thought to himself: "The life you save could be your own and the hour of your time that you sacrifice could mean a lifetime for someone else!"

Harrison was born in 1936. At the age of 14, he needed a large amount of blood as part of a breast operation. As a "thank you", he decided to become a volunteer himself from the age of 18 - the minimum age at the time.

And he kept his word. He began donating in 1954. 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).

1163 donations were taken from his right arm, only ten from the other. This is how he got his nickname "the man with the golden arm". Through his donations, tens of thousands of doses of anti-D were made available, which in turn helped to prevent thousands of deaths and stillbirths, as well as many other cases of illness and disability. In total, Harrison has made life easier for around 2.4 million babies and saved the lives of thousands more.

That's the only record I hope will be broken.

James Harrison

"The life you save could be your own"
Harrison donated blood plasma continuously. He took 40 minutes about 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.