James Harrison, The Biography Of A Touching Man
James Harrison’s name may not mean much to you. He is a real live superhero who has saved the lives of more than two million babies around the world. He is called “the man with the golden arm”.
Its history is truly fabulous. James Harrison is an Australian who was born in 1936 and lived an absolutely normal life. However, when he was 14, he fell ill. He was admitted to a clinic where he had a lung removed. He survived thanks to a donation of 13 liters of blood from anonymous donors.
James Harrison remained in hospital for three months. When doctors told him about the transfusions that had saved his life, he felt deeply grateful to these anonymous people who somehow had kept him alive.
At that moment, he vowed to become a donor as soon as he was of legal age to do so (18 years old). We invite you here to discover the fascinating story of this mundane man who became a hero.
James Harrison and an astonishing discovery
Ironically, James Harrison was in a panic of needles. However, he had made a greater and more important promise to himself than any fear.
So, when he was 18, he kept his commitment and became a donor. He began to donate blood with some regularity and assures us that, despite the frequency of donations, he was never able to look at his arm when a needle was inserted.
Ten years passed and Harrison continued to donate. However, one day he was called by a group of doctors. They told him that they discovered that his blood contained a special type of immunoglobulin, which very few people had. They therefore asked him for permission to test his blood.
This antibody was so important and valuable that James Harrison signed a life insurance policy for a million dollars. No one knows why his body makes this immunoglobulin, but Harrison attributes this to the large amount of transfusions he had to undergo when he was 14.
Hope for babies
But why is James Harrison’s blood so special? The antibody it naturally produces prevents hemolytic disease in newborns. When the mother has Rh negative and her baby (still in her womb) has Rh positive, an adverse reaction occurs.
This incompatibility generates problems during pregnancy and generally leads to Rhesus disease in children. The disease produces severe symptoms and can lead to anemia or even deformities. In the worst cases, the child may even die.
Immunoglobulin, which is extremely concentrated in James Harrison’s blood plasma, is an antidote for this problem. When it is extracted from her blood, it makes it possible to develop injections that are administered to the mother during her pregnancy and after the birth of the baby. This eliminates the risks.
The man with the golden arm
When they found out that James Harrison had this special gift, scientists asked him to donate blood more frequently. He who still had to close his eyes when he gave his blood accepted with pleasure.
He started donating blood every three weeks and continued to donate for 57 years. From her plasma, it was possible to develop RhoGAM, a drug that avoids the effects of blood incompatibility between a mother and her child.
It is estimated that at least 2.4 million children have been saved thanks to Harrison’s donations and the drug developed from his plasma. “The Red Cross and Australia cannot thank a man like James enough,” the Australian Red Cross spokesperson once said when Harrison made his 1174th donation, the last.
James Harrison was eventually banned from donating blood for medical reasons because his health was in danger. The government of his country presented him with the Medal of the Order of Australia in honor of his selfless contribution.
Harrison, for his part, was happy to have been able to help save so many lives. Among the last, that of one of his daughters and one of his granddaughters. He stopped donating at 81.
This superhero has prevented the deaths of millions of babies, but also helped prevent premature abortions, brain deformities and endless consequences in children. Long live this wonderful man.
Our thoughts Meet Viktor Frankl, Austrian doctor and psychiatrist who created a whole branch of psychology: logotherapy.
