Before dying at age 88 on February 17, 2025, James Harrison donated blood regularly for six decades, saving millions of babies from the fatal disease Rhesus D thanks to a rare antibody in his plasma.
dpa picture alliance/Alamy Stock PhotoBlood donor James Harrison, surrounded by mothers and their children who benefitted from his rare plasma.
James Harrison, dubbed the “man with the golden arm” for donating his rare variety of life-saving blood plasma 1,173 times, has died at a nursing home in his native Australia at 88 years old.
For 64 years between 1954 and 2018, James Harrison donated blood roughly every two weeks. His plasma was rich in the rare anti-D antibody, which was used to create medications for expecting mothers diagnosed with Rhesus D, a rare disorder that causes a pregnant woman’s immune system to attack the fetus.
Thanks to his donations, James Harrison is believed to have saved the lives of some 2.4 million babies. Now, even after his death at age 88 on February 17, his legacy will live on, as researchers continue to use his plasma to develop lab-grown anti-D to help pregnant women the world over.
The Death Of Blood Donor James Harrison, The “Man With The Golden Arm”
dpa picture alliance/Alamy Stock PhotoJames Harrison prepares for his last blood donation in 2018.
On February 17, 2025, 88-year-old James Harrison passed away in his sleep at a nursing home in New South Wales, Australia. His family announced the heartbreaking news on March 3, sparking worldwide tributes for one of history’s most prolific plasma donors.
When he was just 18 years old, Harrison started donating plasma to help Australians in need. His blood contained high levels of a rare antibody called anti-D, earning him the nickname the “man with the golden arm.” To this day, researchers are unsure why Harrison’s plasma contained so much anti-D, but they believe a blood transfusion he received during a surgery of his own when he was 14 years old may have been the cause.
This antibody has been used to create medications for pregnant women suffering from Rhesus D, a type of hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn, or HDFN. Prior to the mid-1960s, when anti-D interventions were developed, HDFN killed one out of every two babies who were afflicted by it.
James Harrison donated his plasma about twice a month from the age of 18 to 81 — making him, at one point in time, the all-time record holder for most blood plasma ever donated. In total, James Harrison donated blood 1,173 times. His contributions are believed to have saved 2.4 million babies in Australia, according to the Australian Red Cross.
How James Harrison’s Heroic Blood Donations Saved Millions Of Babies’ Lives
Australian Red CrossJames Harrison donating blood in the 1960s.
James Harrison was born on December 27, 1936 in New South Wales. By all accounts, Harrison lived a largely average life. He was married to a woman named Barbara Lindbeck and together they had a daughter and several grandchildren. Meanwhile, he worked as a clerk for the regional railway authority.
After undergoing lung surgery that required him to get a series of blood transfusions at just 14 years old, Harrison promised himself that he would donate blood plasma as soon as he was of age. He kept true to that promise, making his first donation at age 18 in 1954.
Harrison indeed followed through and donated blood every two weeks — never missing an appointment, especially after learning that his plasma was rich in anti-D and could help expecting mothers diagnosed with HDFN.
Prior to the 1960s, conditions like HDFN were rare, but tragically difficult to treat. According to the Cleveland Clinic, HDFN occurs today in 276 out of 100,000 live births.
The condition is marked by a mother’s immune system attacking her fetus due to blood type incompatibility. The mother’s immune system perceives the baby’s blood cells as a threat and produces antibodies to attack them — more often than not, HDFN seriously harms the baby and is often fatal without intervention.
Hearing that his plasma offered a way to treat expecting mothers with this condition inspired James Harrison to make blood donations a priority throughout his life. According to his family, Harrison did not miss donations even when traveling, choosing to donate at clinics across Australia while exploring the country in a camper van with his wife. After he became too old to drive, Harrison began traveling by train to get to donation centers.
dpa picture alliance/Alamy Stock PhotoJames Harrison holds the documents related to his first blood donations.
“He was…very proud to have saved so many lives, without any cost or pain,” Harrison’s daughter, Tracey Mellowship, who also received her father’s anti-D when she was pregnant, told the Red Cross, according to the BBC. “It made him happy to hear about the many families like ours, who existed because of his kindness.”
Today, labs across Australia are working to take James Harrison’s and other donors’ blood cells to recreate anti-D antibodies in the lab. Some scientists have fittingly named these lab-made antibodies “James in a Jar” in honor of James Harrison, the man who made it all possible.
After reading about James Harrison, dive into 33 feel-good stories from history that will help restore your faith in humanity. Then, read about Henrietta Lacks, the woman whose cells aided in cancer research and led to the development of important vaccines.
