James Harrison, who saved 2.4 million babies through plasma donation, died of 88

Melbourne, Australia – An Australian man saved 2.4 million babies in six decades of record plasma donations, his family said Tuesday. He is 88 years old.

Retired state railroad staff member James Harrison died on February 17 at a nursing home on the central coast of New South Wales, according to his grandson Jarrod Mellowship.

Harrison's plasma contains a rare antibody called anti-D. It is used to protect unborn babies from neonatal hemolytic diseases, where the pregnant woman's immune system attacks the fetus' red blood cells. This disease is most common when women have RH-negative blood type and babies have RH-positive.

There are only 200 anti-combination donors in Australia. They help 45,000 mothers and their babies each year.

Despite his dislike for the needle, Harrison turned 18 in 1954 until he was forced to retire in 2018 at the age of 81, but he donated 1,173.

“He did this for the right reason. He does like to pay attention. But he will never do it for attention.” He added that his grandfather was recognized by the Guinness World Record in 2005 because he was recognized by the Guinness World Record in 2005 because of those who donated the world's most blood clots.

The record was beaten by American Brett Cooper in Walker, Michigan in 2022.

Australian descent pays tribute to James Harrison

The Australian Red Cross Blood Bureau said Harrison was called “the man with golden arms.” The state agency responsible for collecting and distributing blood products is also known as the Lifeline.

Its CEO Stephen Cornelissen said Harrison had hoped that someone in Australia would one day beat his donation record.

“James is an extraordinary, determined and generous man dedicated to his lifelong dedication, and he has captured the hearts of many people in the world,” Connilson said in a statement.

“It is James who believes his donations are no more important than any other donor, and everyone can be as special as he does,” Cornelissen added.

“We are very grateful to James Harrison for his generous life. …We are grateful to James for his incredible contributions and the millions of lifespans he saved,” said Lifeline.

Mellowship said Harrison's daughter Tracey Mellowship and his brother Scott needed treatment when they were born.

Jarrod Mellowship said his own wife, Rebecca, also needs treatment when three of four children are born.

How James Harrison's Blood Possible Gets Its Unique Features

Some people speculate that Harrison produced high concentrations of anti-D during his 14-year-old large lung surgery.

“After the surgery, his father Reg told grandpa that you are really alive because people donated blood,” Jarrod Mellowship said. “The day he was 18, he started donating.”

It was not until the 1960s that anti-D was discovered in the fight against hemolytic diseases in newborns.

Harrison was born in New South Wales and survived his sister Margaret Thrift, his daughter, two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.