James Harrison, who was born in Australia, underwent major surgery at the age of thirteen, during which he received an incredible 13 liters of donated blood. Grateful to be alive thanks to the generosity of blood donors, he made a promise to dedicate his life to helping others by donating blood himself. As soon as he was old enough, he began keeping that promise.
During his donations, he discovered something remarkable: Although his blood type was Rh-negative (Rh-), the blood he had received during surgery was Rh-positive (Rh+). Normally, if someone with Rh-negative blood receives Rh-positive blood, the reaction would cause the blood to clot and could be fatal.
However, James had a rare antibody in his blood that prevented clotting, allowing him to survive.
This unique property of his blood became incredibly valuable—it could be used to create a vaccine to treat newborns suffering from hemolytic disease. Thanks to the plasma extracted from his blood, more than two million babies’ lives have been saved.
In May 2011, after making his 1,000th blood donation, James was awarded an honorary medal.
Australians affectionately call him “The Man with the Golden Arm,” honoring his incredible contributions to the world.