James Harrison, australian, one of the world’s most prolific blood donors, whose plasma helped save the lives of almost 2 million newborns, has died.
James Harrison Blood donor
On February 17, James Harrison died in his sleep at a nursing facility in New South Wales, Australia, his family announced on Monday. He was 88.
Harrison, also known as the “man with the golden arm” in Australia, had blood that included a rare antibody called Anti-D, which is used to create medication for pregnant moms whose blood is at risk of attacking their unborn kids.
Harrison promised to become a donor after getting transfusions during a severe chest operation at the age of 14. He began donating blood plasma at 18 and continued every two weeks until he was 81.
In 2005, he had the global record for the most blood plasma donated, which he kept until 2022 when a guy from the United States overtook him.
Tracey Mellowship, Harrison’s daughter, stated that her father was “very proud to have saved so many lives, without any cost or pain.”
“He always said it does not hurt, and the life you save could be your own,” she told me.
Mellowship and two of Harrison’s grandkids have also had anti-D immunizations.
“It made [James] happy to hear about the many families like ours, who existed because of his kindness,” according to her.
Anti-D vaccines protect unborn newborns from a fatal blood illness known as hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn, or HDFN.
The disorder arises during pregnancy when the mother’s red blood cells are incompatible with those of the developing fetus.
The mother’s immune system then recognizes the baby’s blood cells as a threat and generates antibodies to destroy them. This can significantly injure the infant, resulting in severe anemia, heart failure, or even death.
Before the development of anti-D treatments in the mid-1960s, one out of every two babies with HDFN died.
It’s unknown how Harrison’s blood became so high in anti-D, but some reports suggest it was due to the big blood transfusion he underwent at 14.
There are less than 200 anti-D donors in Australia. Yet, they assist an estimated 45,000 mothers and babies each year, according to the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, popularly known as Lifeblood.
Lifeblood has collaborated with Australia’s Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research to produce anti-D antibodies in the lab by reproducing blood and immune cells from Harrison and other donors.
Researchers believe that lab-made anti-D will one day be utilized to aid pregnant women all over the world.
“Creating a new therapy has long been a ‘holy grail’,” Lifeblood’s research director, David Irving, stated.
He underlined the shortage of donors who are willing to donate regularly and create appropriate quality and quantity antibodies.
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