James Harrison Kept Rolling Up His Sleeve for Strangers’ Babies

The story

After a chest surgery as a young man, James Harrison was told donated blood had helped save him. He started giving blood in return. Doctors later found his plasma contained antibodies useful against Rhesus disease, which can destroy a newborn’s red cells.

He was not a lab. He was a person with an appointment card. Over and over he sat in a chair so babies he would never meet might go home.

What happened next

Australian services estimated his donations helped thousands of mothers and infants. He retired from donating when age limits arrived. The work was punctual, unshowy, and medical.

A lesson you can use this week

If you are eligible, book a donation. One hour can be more useful than a hundred encouraging comments.

Sources

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood historical profiles of James Harrison; contemporaneous reporting by ABC News Australia and BBC on his final donation.