The Man with a Golden Arm

Tagged as “The Man with a Golden Arm”, James Harrison has been donating blood plasma from his right arm for nearly every week of the past 60 years in which have saved a lot of precious lives already.

When he was just 14 years old, Harrison underwent a chest operation where they removed one of his lungs. His life would had been put to an end had it not been for the blood that have been donated by unknown people, that was when he decided to be a blood donor when he becomes capable enough.

When Harrison is finally able to, doctors soon found out that his blood contained a special antibody that could cure a deadly disease called Rhesus. This disease occurs when a pregnant woman’s blood contains rhesus-negative (RhD negative) and the baby in her womb has rhesus-positive blood (RhD positive), inherited from the father. If the RhD positive blood causes a reaction from the mother, she may produce antibodies which can attack and destroy the unborn baby’s “foreign” blood cells. In which case, may result to brain damage or fatality.

Harrison’s rare blood prevents pregnant women with said condition from developing RhD antibodies throughout her pregnancy. The Australian Red Cross reported that over 2 million lives have been saved thanks to one man’s blood.

He is one of no more than 50 people in Australia who are known to have the same antibody that can intercept the disease. Doctors are still unsure as to why Harrisson’s blood contain this but think that it’s from all the blood transfusions he had as a boy.

Harrison is considered a national hero and has won numerous awards. He has already donated more than 1,000 times.

Jemma Falkenmire says, "I don't think anyone will be able to do what he's done, but certainly we do need people to step into his shoes," she adds. "He will have to retire in the next couple years, and I guess for us the hope is there will be people who will donate, who will also ... have this antibody and become life savers in the same way he has, and all we can do is hope there will be people out there generous enough to do it, and selflessly in the way he's done."