You probably won't recognize the name James Harrison, but we guarantee you won't forget who he is or what he did.
For more than sixty years, Harrison donated blood every two weeks, like clockwork. That's something lots of people do every day, but Harrison -- nicknamed 'The Man With the Golden Arm' -- was different.
Harrison's blood contained a rare antibody that protected unborn babies from rhesus disease.
After a childhood illness required multiple blood transfusions, Harrison started donating regularly until age 81, the cut-off for plasma donations in his home country of Australia.
Yesterday, Harrison died at the age of 88.
Blood donor who saved 2.4 million babies with his rare plasma dies at age 88 https://t.co/zLYUfd6w67 pic.twitter.com/2Mzy4xX0Oh
— New York Post (@nypost) March 3, 2025
James Harrison, an Australian man who saved the lives of more than two million babies through blood donation, has died at age 88.
Nicknamed the “man with the golden arm,” Harrison donated his blood over 1,100 times, providing his plasma every two weeks for more than six decades.
What made his donations particularly special is that he had a rare antibody that can protect babies from rhesus disease while they’re in the womb.
What is rhesus disease? There's a protein on the surface of red blood cells call the Rh factor. People who are Rh-negative do not have this protein. When a woman who is Rh-negative is pregnant with an Rh-positive baby, there's a risk her body could create antibodies against the baby's Rh factor. Those antibodies can cross the placenta and lead to anemia and other, more serious, complications in babies.
Recommended
In short, James Harrison is a hero.
Heros save babies.
— Baked Turbo Flash (@BakedTurboFlash) March 4, 2025
Democrats abort them.
Harrison saved a lot of babies.
Should receive a posthumous award from the president for service to humanity. Or something like that. Maybe the Nobel peace prize. pic.twitter.com/5Fephm7uAn
— Neanderthal Tom Cave Beast (@Neanderthal_Tom) March 3, 2025
He should get some sort of award.
I hope he resides in the best part of Heaven for all the good he did while on Earth.
— CassiusVictus (@CassiusVictus) March 4, 2025
There's a special place for men like him.
........... pic.twitter.com/ZNCoAOlzml
— They Live is a documentary (@Nada_1776) March 3, 2025
Say no more.
He's going straight to heaven. https://t.co/gbNU3gx5X8
— Punished Arvensia Littleglass ☧🇮🇳 (@LadyLittleGlass) March 3, 2025
The Pearly Gates are thrown open wide.
F in the chat boys for a real one. https://t.co/NXYYXLmwnQ pic.twitter.com/ps7bdtze5h
— The Mondolorian (@TheMondolorian) March 4, 2025
F
James Harrison OAM, an Australian blood donor who saved 2.4 million babies by donating his rare plasma, has died aged 88.
— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) March 3, 2025
Affectionately known as the ‘Man with the Golden Arm’, Harrison became the world's most prolific blood and plasma donor thanks to his rare and precious… pic.twitter.com/RXw9C94Guc
There he is with some of the babies he saved.
RIP to the Man with the Golden Arm.
— ♀️Jennifer Gingrich ✡️ (@fem_mb) March 3, 2025
James Harrison gave blood 1,173 times, saving the lives of 2.4 million Australian babies after it was found that his plasma had a rare antibody that could stop Rh- pregnant women's blood from attacking their Rh+ babies. https://t.co/RITU4gbakZ
Harrison is survived by his daughter Tracey Mellowship, her husband Andrew, grandsons Scott and Jared Mellowship and Jared's wife, Rebecca and their four children.
We extend our sympathies to Harrison's family, friends, and loved ones.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member