James Harrison
Blood Donor (1936) Australia

At 14, James underwent a complicated operation and required numerous blood transfusions. After months in hospital, he decided that when he grew up, he would donate blood whenever he could. When the time came, they discovered his blood was special. It contained an impressive amount of the immunoglobulin RHo (D) antibody, or Anti-D. Furthermore, his plasma regenerated rapidly. No one can explain the reason for that miraculous blood, but they did know what they could do with it. It turns out this antibody is exactly what mothers suffering from Rhesus disease need. Harrison dedicated his life to donating this precious plasma, which was used to treat millions of Australian mothers, including his own daughter. He donated religiously every three weeks, although he was never able to look at himself as it caused him a great aversion. Over 63 years, he underwent 1,172 extractions. And it is estimated that he has helped prevent the deaths of more than 2.4 million children. At 81, James made his final blood donation, having reached the legal limit. “It's a sad day for me, the end of a long career [...] I would still do it, if they let me.”