For one man, it was his brush with death that gave him a reason to try and save lives.
But for James Harrison, it wasn’t just that he decided to donate blood to give back to those who helped save him – it’s that his blood was uniquely suited for one thing. He could save the lives of unborn babies – and would go on to save more than 2.5 million.
It all started in 1954. Harrison was 14 years old and had become ill. He required surgery to remove a lung. During the surgery he needed 13 units (more a gallon and a half) of donated blood. Without that transfusion, Harrison said he would have died.
In Australia, where Harrison lived, you had to be 18 to donate blood. He knew, as soon as he turned 18, that he wanted to give back so others could have a chance to live, as he did.
As soon as he was able, Harrison began donating blood. And once his blood was analyzed, he learned something shocking: his blood held an antigen that was desperately needed. His blood contained a large amount of rare antibodies known as Rh (D) immune globulin, or anti-D.
According to Dr. Thierry Peyrard, the Director of the National Immunohematology Reference Laboratory in Paris, this blood type is so rare that only 43 people on Earth have ever been reported to have it, and there are only nine active donors.
It’s the golden blood,” Dr. Peyrard said.
In pregnancies, if a mother is Rhesus negative, there is a potential disease called Rhesus D Hemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn (HDN). It can cause spleen and liver problems, as well as brain damage and possibly death for a fetus, according to Stanford Children’s Health.
“I was always looking forward to donating, right from the operation, because I don’t know how many people it took to save my life,” Harrison told NPR. “I never met them, didn’t know them.”
James Harrison was awarded a Guinness World Records for the most blood donated.
“Every bag of blood is precious, but James’ blood is particularly extraordinary,” Jemma Falkenmire, of the Australian Red Cross Blood Donor Service said. “His blood is actually used to make a life-saving medication, given to moms whose blood is at risk of attacking their unborn babies.”
In 1966, it was discovered that HDN could be prevented by a simple injection of anti-D, the same antigen that was behind the cause of HDN. While at first major health organizations refused to believe that something that simple could be the solution, scientists continued to work on it.
And they were right – it worked. And not only that, it has continued to be the standard treatment.
Harrison, who doctors think likely had the RhD antigens given to him when he had the blood transfusions for his surgery, became crucial to the fight to save the unborn babies.
“Very few people have these antibodies in such strong concentrations,” Falkenmire told reporters. “His body produces a lot of them and when he donates his body produces more.”
The minute Harrison knew his blood was needed, he started donating plasma, and made sure to donate the maximum amount allowed – every 2 weeks. For 60 years, he kept this routine, totalling 1,172 donations until he reached age 81, the limit for donating blood in Australia.
“Every batch of Anti-D that has ever been made in Australia has come from James’s blood,” Falkenmire said. “And more than 17 percent of women in Australia are at risk, so James has helped save a lot of lives.”
But for Harrison, it’s just something he did.
“Some people say, ‘Oh, you’re a hero,’” he told NPR. “But I’m in a safe room, donating blood. They give me a cup of coffee and something to nibble on. And then I just go on my way. … No problem, no hardship.”
Sources: IFL Science | CBS News
