“The man with the gold arm” dead – saved millions

Thanks to a rare antibody, Australian James Harrison’s blood was able to save the lives of over two million children.

Now the “man with the gold arm” has died 88 years old, reports GP.

James Harrison began donating blood in 1954, 18 years old. Ten years later, doctors discovered that his blood contained a rare antibody necessary to produce anti-D injections, which protect fetuses and newborns from so-called RH immunization.

If the pregnant woman has a different RHD blood group than the fetus and the fetal blood leaks into the mother’s blood, the mother can form antibodies that attack the baby’s red blood cells. It can lead to brain damage to the child and, in the worst case, death.

Since 1967, more than three million doses of anti-D made from James Harrison’s blood have been given to Australian mothers, according to the Australian Red Cross.

“James stretched his arm to help others and babies he would never get to know 1,173 times without requesting anything in return,” said Stephen Cornelissen, CEO of the Red Cross Department for Blood Donation in Australia, in a press release.