Millions of Lives Saved By One Extraordinary Man’s Blood Donations
While every blood donation saves multiple lives, James Harrison’s donations go above and beyond the usual standard. His plasma contains a special antibody used for treatment against a deadly disease known as Rhesus D Haemolytic Disease (HDN). Pregnant woman who have this disease often receive devastating side effects such as miscarriages, stillbirths, and brain damage in their newborns. For over 60 years, Harrison donated 1,173 times. His blood donations have saved the lives of 2.4 million babies. Recently, Harrison gave his final blood donation at the age of 81, but he will continue saving others: scientists harvested his DNA and plan on synthesizing a new treatment for HDN from it.
