Latest news with #Anti-D
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Australian Man Whose Blood Donations Saved Millions Dies Age 88
An Australian man who donated blood plasma every three weeks for the past 70 years has died at the age of 88. James Harrison had an antibody in his blood that is used to create the Anti-D injection that routinely stops the immune systems of women with rhesus-negative blood from attacking their unborn rhesus-positive children. His generosity saved the lives of more than 2 million babies vulnerable to rhesus disease thanks to his unique antibodies, according to the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. When he was 14, Harrison benefitted from a life-saving blood transfusion during a lung operation, and started donating blood as soon as he was old enough. Around that time, thousands of babies were dying each year from what would later be diagnosed as rhesus disease. But doctors soon discovered that Harrison's blood carried a rare antibody that was known to stop women with rhesus-negative blood from developing antibodies against their children, and in the 1960s they used Harrison's plasma to create the Anti-D injection, which is now routinely used to help women safely carry rhesus-positive babies to term. "Australia was one of the first countries to discover a blood donor with this antibody, so it was quite revolutionary at the time," Jemma Falkenmire from the Australian Red Cross Blood Service told CNN in 2015. And while they've since found 50 other people in the country who carry the same antibody, this blood characteristic is still extremely rare. "Every bag of blood is precious, but James' blood is particularly extraordinary. Every batch of Anti-D that has ever been made in Australia has come from James' blood," added Falkenmire. "And more than 17 percent of women in Australia are at risk, so James has helped save a lot of lives." Scientists still aren't quite sure why Harrison's blood carried these antibodies, but they believe it could have to do with the transfusions he received as a child during lung surgery. They're now hoping to find more blood donors with similar antibodies in their blood to take his place in the future. This article is a modified version of a story published in June 2015. Brain Autopsies Reveal a Potential Culprit Behind Alzheimer's Giving Up Already? Here Are 5 Tips For Staying on Top of Your Goals. Paradox-Busting Study Finds Bigger Animals Really Are at Greater Risk of Cancer
The Independent
04-03-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Blood donor who saved 2.4 million babies dies, aged 88
James Harrison, known as the "man with the golden arm," has died in Australia at 88 after six decades of donating blood. He made more than 1,100 donations during his lifetime, from the age of 18 until his retirement at 81, helping to save more than 2.4 million babies. His rare antibody was crucial in developing Anti-D, a treatment preventing Rhesus disease, where the mother's blood attacks her foetus. Harrison previously received the Medal of the Order of Australia for his contributions. Scientists are working on a project to synthetically produce his antibody.
The Independent
04-03-2025
- Health
- The Independent
‘Man with a golden arm': Australian whose rare blood helped save millions of babies dies at 88
James Harrison, who helped save more than two million babies by donating blood over 1,100 times across six decades, has died at 88. According to the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, Harrison, also known as the 'man with a golden arm', had the 'precious antibody in his blood' that was used to make a 'lifesaving medication called Anti-D, given to mothers whose blood is at risk of attacking their unborn babies'. Harrison died in his sleep at Peninsula Village Nursing Home on the NSW Central Coast on 17 February. He began donating in 1954 at 18 and continued regularly until his retirement in 2018 at 81. According to Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, he has helped save the lives of more than 2.4 million Australian babies. Harrison's daughter, Tracey Mellowship, fondly remembered him as a generous soul with a wonderful sense of humour. 'James was a humanitarian at heart, but also very funny,' Ms Mellowship said. 'In his last years, he was immensely proud to become a great grandfather to two beautiful grandchildren, Trey and Addison. 'As an Anti-D recipient myself, he has left behind a family that may not have existed without his precious donations.' She added: 'He was also very proud to have saved so many lives, without any cost or pain. It made him happy to hear about the many families like ours, who existed because of his kindness. 'He always said it does not hurt, and the life you save could be your own.' Harrison's rare antibodies were crucial in developing Anti-D, the treatment that has protected millions of newborns from Rhesus disease (or Haemolytic Disease of the Foetus and Newborn) – a condition in which a pregnant woman's blood attacks her unborn baby's red blood cells, potentially leading to brain damage or even death. It occurs when a mother has RhD-negative blood, while her baby inherits RhD-positive blood from the father. If the mother has been sensitised to RhD-positive blood – often during a previous pregnancy – her immune system may produce antibodies that attack the baby's blood as a foreign threat. 'James was a pioneer of our Anti-D programme. More than 3 million doses of Anti-D containing James' blood have been issued to Aussie mothers with a negative blood type since 1967,' Lifeblood said in a statement on their website. 'He has changed my world and I'm sure he's done that for many other families, making him a very incredible human,' said Rebecca Ind, a recipient of Harrison's blood donations during and after her pregnancy 12 years ago. In 1999 Harrison was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia – one of the country's most prestigious honours – for his extraordinary dedication to the Lifeblood and Anti-D programme. His kindness leaves a 'remarkable legacy, and he has put the challenge out to the Australian community to beat it', Lifeblood said in the statement. 'I hope it's a record that somebody breaks, because it will mean they are dedicated to the cause,' Harrison said of his last donation at the age of 81. 'It becomes quite humbling when they say, 'oh you've done this or you've done that or you're a hero,'' Harrison said at the time. 'It's something I can do. It's one of my talents, probably my only talent, is that I can be a blood donor.' At 14, Harrison underwent major chest surgery and relied on the generosity of blood donors to survive. Determined to give back, he vowed to donate as soon as he was eligible – and at 18, he kept his promise, despite a fear of needles. More than a decade later, doctors discovered that his blood contained a rare antibody essential for producing Anti-D injections. Committed to helping others, Harrison willingly switched to plasma donation, ensuring his contributions could save as many lives as possible. 'James was a remarkable, stoically kind, and generous person who was committed to a lifetime of giving and he captured the hearts of many people around the world,' Lifeblood chief executive officer Stephen Cornelissen was quoted as saying by Australia's Nine News. 'It was James' belief that his donations were no more important than any other donors', and that everyone can be special in the same way that he was. 'James extended his arm to help others and babies he would never know a remarkable 1173 times and expected nothing in return.' Robyn Barlow, coordinator of Australia's Rh Program – designed to prevent Haemolytic Disease of the Foetus and Newborn (HDFN) – said she had been friends with Harrison for nearly 60 years after first recruiting him as a donor. 'He made my job very easy because he was so keen to donate all the time,' Barlow told 'I never had to worry about him – I never had to call and say: 'when you're coming', nothing like that, he was there standing in front of me.' In an interview with NPR in 2015, Harrison said: 'I was always looking forward to donating, right from the operation, because I don't know how many people it took to save my life.' Several reports pointed out that doctors were not entirely sure why and how Harrison developed this rare blood antibody, though they suspect it may be linked to the transfusions he received at 14 after his surgery. 'Every batch of Anti-D that has ever been made in Australia has come from James' blood,' Jemma Falkenmire, of the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood (then known as Australian Red Cross Blood Service), told CNN in 2015. 'And more than 17 per cent of women in Australia are at risk, so James has helped save a lot of lives.' Fewer than 200 people in Australia donate Anti-D, yet their contributions help an estimated 45,000 mothers and babies each year, according to the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood. Scientists from WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) in Melbourne, in collaboration with Lifeblood, are working on a project called 'James in a Jar' to grow the Anti-D antibody in the lab. Using blood and immune cells from Harrison and other donors, the team has successfully recreated and cultivated the antibody, according to Lifeblood. This breakthrough could one day help prevent Haemolytic Disease of the Foetus and Newborn, benefiting pregnant women not just in Australia but worldwide, the statement said.
Khaleej Times
04-03-2025
- Health
- Khaleej Times
'An incredible legacy': Man who donated blood 1,173 times dies in Australia aged 88
An Australian known as the "Man with the Golden Arm" for protecting 2.4 million babies with his rare, antibody-rich blood plasma, has died at 88, health officials say. James Harrison rolled up his sleeve and donated blood 1,173 times over 64 years, Australian Red Cross organisation Lifeblood said in a statement. His plasma contained a rare antibody, known as Anti-D, used to make a medication for mothers whose blood was at risk of attacking their unborn babies - known as rhesus D haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN). While it is impossible to know how many babies would have died without Anti-D protection, HDFN affected as many as 1 in 100 women until 1966, government data shows. Following the success of a 1966 Anti-D trial in Australia, Lifeblood looked for people who had the antibody to scale up the project and Harrison fit the bill. He had started donating a few years earlier and never missed a single appointment until his retirement in 2018, Lifeblood said. His blood was used to make 2.4 million doses. Of Harrison's 1,173 donations, 1,163 were from his right arm and 10 from his left, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. "It didn't hurt in the right arm," he told the publication, although he never watched the needle go in. Harrison died in his sleep at a nursing home on the New South Wales Central Coast on February 17. Among his blood recipients was daughter Tracey Mellowship, who said Harrison would be greatly missed. "James was a humanitarian at heart, but also very funny," she said. "He was also very proud to have saved so many lives, without any cost or pain. It made him happy to hear about the many families like ours, who existed because of his kindness." Lifeblood chief executive Stephen Cornelissen said Harrison left behind "an incredible legacy". "It was his hope that one day, someone in Australia would beat his donation record." About 17 percent of pregnant women require Anti-D, but finding donors for the program remains difficult, the government said. Scientists hope to use blood from Harrison and other donors to recreate Anti-D antibodies in the lab, helping to prevent HDFN worldwide.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Blood and plasma donor who saved more than 2 million babies dies at 88
(WJW) – James Harrison, a prolific blood and plasma donor for decades who helped save the lives of millions of babies in Australia, has died, according to the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood. The organization made the announcement on Saturday, confirming that Harrison passed away in his sleep at the Peninsula Village Nursing Home last month. He was 88. Nicknamed the 'Man with the Golden Arm,' Harrison was internationally known for saving more than 2 million babies by donating plasma more than 1,100 times since 1954, the organization said. 'James' plasma contained the rare and precious antibody, Anti-D, which is used to make the life-saving medication given to mothers whose blood is at risk of attacking their unborn babies,' Lifeblood said in a press release. Cat food recalled due to 'bird flu' risk According to the organization, Harrison had to undergo blood transfusions after lung surgery when he was 14. With some encouragement from his father, Harrison started donating when he turned 18 and never missed an appointment until he retired at 81 years old, the organization said. 'James extended his arm to help others and babies he would never know a remarkable 1,173 times and expected nothing in return,' said Lifeblood CEO Stephen Cornelissen 'He continued to donate even in his darkest days, after the passing of his wife Barbara, who was also a blood donor, and helped inspire his career as a lifesaver.' 'He was also very proud to have saved so many lives, without any cost or pain. It made him happy to hear about the many families like ours, who existed because of his kindness,' his daughter, Tracey Mellowship, added on behalf of the family. Pope Francis suffers new breathing crises, is back on noninvasive ventilation: Vatican According to the organization, researchers are now working to grow the antibody in their lab, nicknaming the project 'James in a Jar.' 'Using the blood of James and other donors, the team has successfully recreated and grown his antibody in the lab – with the hope it will one day help prevent Haemolytic Disease of the Foetus and Newborn, not just for pregnant women in Australia, but also worldwide,' the press release said. Learn more about the research being done right here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
