Australia mourns loss of prolific blood donor, James Harrison, who saved the lives of millions of babies

An Australian man whose plasma saved more than two million babies' lives has died.

James Harrison, 88, was known as one of the world's most prolific blood donors.

According to his family, he died at a nursing home in New South Wales.

Nicknamed 'the man with the golden arm' Harrison had a rare combination of RhD-negative blood and Rh-positive antibodies, something that may have transpired thanks to being a blood recipient himself.

As a teenager, James received more than a dozen units of blood during surgery.

In a post on social media, the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood paid tribute to Harrison, who saved a whopping 2.4m babies in his lifetime.

"James generously donated plasma more than 1,100 times. We thank James for the incredible contribution he made and the millions of lives he has saved," the organisation said.

It said in May 2018, Harrison made his last blood donation.

"It was thanks to James’ prolific efforts as a blood donor that Australia became the first country in the world to be self-sufficient in the supply of anti-D. Today, Lifeblood’s anti-D program draws on a small group of less than 200 blood donors.

"It’s with enormous gratitude that we acknowledge the generous life of James Harrison, who has passed away in February 2025, aged 88. We thank James for the incredible contribution he made and the millions of lives he has saved," the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood said.

seanne.rall@iol.co.za

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