One Man Has Saved Millions Of Babies With His Rare Blood Type
A 78-year-old gentleman has been donating his extremely rare blood type for over 60 years now, and has managed to save millions of babies in the process. James Harrison has a ‘golden arm’, allowing him to offer the antibodies within his rare blood to soon-to-be mothers who ultimately birth happy, healthy children. Babies dying from Rhesus disease – a form of anaemia – require the antibody in Harrison’s plasma, reports Daily Mail.
Ever since he turned 18-years-old, James has been offering his blood every few weeks. When he was a teenager, a near-death experience caused him to rethink everything. At the tender age of 14, James had a chest operation that required the complete removal of his lung. He needed 13 units of blood from random donors in order to survive. Upon sitting up from the operating table, James vowed to become a donor himself.
James, unfortunately, isn’t a fan of needles entering his body, though. In fact, the older man has never seen the needle go into his arm. He said: “Never once have I watched the needle go in my arm. I look at the ceiling or the nurses, maybe talk to them a bit, but never once have I watched… I can’t stand the sight of blood, and I can’t stand pain.”
James’ blood has led to the creation of a vaccine called Anti-D, which helps to prevent Rhesus from occurring within newborn babies. Thousands were dying from the disease every year before James began donating in Australia. His arm has since been insured for over a million dollars.
“They insured me for a million dollars so I knew my wife Barbara would be taken care of. I wasn’t scared. I was glad to help. I had to sign every form going and basically sign my life away.”
Every batch of Anti-D ever created in Australia has come directly from the blood of James. He has saved countless lives, and will no doubt continue to for the foreseeable future.
