Man with the Golden Arm James Harrison

 

Man with the Golden Arm James Harrison

       You must have heard the saying 'Blood donation is a great donation, there is no greater donation than this'. The number of people donating blood is very less. But there are many people in the world who donate blood regularly. One of them is James Harrison. Harrison, from Australia, politely known as the 'Man with the Golden Arm', donated his last blood in 2018 at the age of 81 after giving blood almost every week since 1954. He has saved the lives of 24 lakh children by donating blood for more than 60 years.

Harrison was born on December 27, 1936. His story of blood donation begins at the age of 14, when he had a chest operation and it was only because of blood donation that his life was saved. At the same time he had decided that he would also become a responsible blood donor.

      James Harrison donated blood to the Australian Red Cross 1173 times. According to doctors, his blood is not normal. His blood has a unique property, a rare antibody which proved to be helpful in fighting a disease called "Rhesus". Antibody rhesus is a type of fatal disease.

    Rhesus disease is a dangerous condition. This comes into play when a pregnant woman with rhesus-negative blood gives birth to a baby with rhesus-positive blood. In such cases, the mother's immune system produces antibodies that attack the baby's blood cells, potentially causing serious complications such as brain damage or even death.

      Harrison's blood proved to be a ray of hope. The antibodies found in his blood were used to develop an injection called 'Anti-D'. This is no less than a miracle in the field of medicine. It helps in fighting a disease called Rhesus effectively. More than 20 lakh women have benefited from Harrison's generosity. More than 3 million doses of 'Anti-D' have been given to Australian women with negative blood types since 1967.

     James Harrison has been awarded many awards for his commendable work. He has also been awarded the 'Medal of the Order of Australia' in the year 1999 and the 'Guinness World Record' in the year 2003. Harrison's decades of dedication to blood donation changed the lives of millions of people. He is an inspiration for all of us.