What is Rhesus disease? Blood donor James Harrison known as ‘The Man with the Golden Arm’ passes away at 88

Well-renowned Australian blood and plasma donor James Harrison passed away peacefully in his sleep on February 17, 2025, at a nursing home in his hometown, New South Wales, at the age of 88. The news was announced on March 1 by the Australian Red Cross branch, Lifeblood, following confirmation from family.

Fondly called, ‘The Man with the Golden Arm,’ James Harrison is credited with saving the lives of 2.4 million babies across the country over six decades, NPR reported. James’ plasma contained a rare and invaluable antibody known as anti-D (discovered in mid-1960s).

Anti-D is used in medications to prevent Rhesus disease, which is referred to as a life-threatening disorder when a pregnant woman’s blood is incompatible with that of their unborn child, prompting her immune system to attack the baby's blood cells.

According to Lifeblood, James Harrison was Australia’s first and most famous anti-D donor. The outlet also reported that 17 percent of pregnant women in the country require anti-D injections and the recently deceased man was one among only 200 regular plasma donors who helped 45,000 women annually.

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More about Rhesus disease in wake of James Harrison’s demise

NHS defines Rhesus disease as a condition where antibodies in a pregnant individual’s blood attack and destroy the unborn baby’s blood cells. Alternatively called haemolytic disease of the foetus and newborn (HDFN), it doesn’t harm the mother but can lead to anaemia, newborn jaundice, and even death in the newborn.

According to the UK-based website, Rhesus disease occurs only when the mother has rhesus negative/ RhD negative blood while her foetus has rhesus positive/ RhD positive blood. Not only that, but the pregnant woman had also been sensitized to RhD positive blood in the past, usually a previous pregnancy with an RhD positive baby.

The first time, the mother responds by producing antibodies after the birth of her kid and soon destroys the foreign blood cells. However, once sensitized, the next time she’s exposed to RhD positive blood, the body immediately produces antibodies and can harm the baby by entering the placenta.

In fact, as per NHS, it can continue for a few months after the birth when the antibodies from the mother’s body remain in the baby and keep attacking its RBCs.

While Rhesus disease is now uncommon, it can be prevented using anti-D immunoglobulin injections to the pregnant lady. This helps remove the RhD fetal blood cells before they cause sensitization. Meanwhile, HDFN can be diagnosed using antenatal tests.

Women who are already sensitized to anti-D antibodies from a past pregnancy can’t be helped with immunoglobulin injections and are usually monitored closely alongside the baby.

In case a baby gets Rhesus disease, it can be treated using blood transfusions, phototherapy, and intravenous immunoglobulin. It can be detected via Doppler ultrasound and the symptoms include haemolytic anaemia, newborn jaundice, and low muscle tone (hypotonia). If left untreated, HDFN can result in stillbirth, brain damage, learning difficulties, and hearing and vision impairment.

A netizen thanks James Harrison for his contribution. (Image via X)

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All you need to know about James Harrison

Australian blood and plasma donor James Harrison, who died last month, contributed 1,173 times, every two weeks between 1954 and 2018. Out of them all except 10 were from his right arm, as per Lifeblood. He “never missed a single appointment” and “expected nothing in return,” the agency reported. Australian law doesn’t allow blood and plasma donors to be financially rewarded.

“James was a remarkable, stoically kind, and generous person who was committed to a lifetime of giving and he captured the hearts of many people around the world. It was James’ belief that his donations were no more important than any other donors’ and that everyone can be special in the same way that he was,” Lifeblood CEO Stephen Cornelissen shared in a statement.

James Harrison was born in New South Wales in December 1936 and was a retired railway state department clerk. He earned one of the country’s highest civilian honors, the Medal of the Order of Australia, in 1999. He also created a Guinness World Record in 2005 for being the most blood plasma donor in the world, a record which was broken by Brett Cooper from Michigan, USA, in 2022.

During a 2015 interview with NPR, James Harrison shared:

"Some people say, 'Oh, you're a hero.’ But I'm in a safe room, donating blood. They give me a cup of coffee and something to nibble on. And then I just go on my way… No problem, no hardship."

James Harrison also shared what inspired him to become a donor. At the age of 14, he got one of his lungs removed and had to stay at the hospital for three months and get 100 stitches and two gallons of blood.

"I was always looking forward to donating, right from the operation, because I don't know how many people it took to save my life. I never met them, didn't know them," he added.

Despite his aversion to needles, Harrison began his journey in 1954 after becoming 18, the legal age for becoming a donor and retired in May 2018 at the age of 81, the maximum age for blood and plasma donation under Australian law.

In 1967 when scientists discovered anti-D treatment for Rhesus disease, James Harrison was "happy to continue to donate and switch over to plasma donation in order to help as many people as possible," Lifeblood reported.

"I was prepared and wanted to give something back. And I've been donating for 60 years… "The whole family are blood donors. And that makes you feel proud, too," he later told NPR in 2015 about his family.

A social media user offers his tribute to Harrison. (Image via X)

As per the agency report, over 3 million doses of anti-D containing James Harrison's blood have been given to mothers across Australia, including his own daughter and now-survivor, Tracey Mellowship.

"As an anti-D recipient myself, he has left behind a family that may not have existed without his precious donations… He always said it does not hurt, and the life you save could be your own," Mellowship stated in wake of her father’s demise.

She shared that her father was a "humanitarian" who was proud to have saved so many lives “without any cost or pain” and it made him “happy to hear about the many families like ours, who existed because of his kindness.”

In the aftermath of James Harrison's demise, Lifeblood in collaboration with Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI), is pioneering a project called "James in a Jar."

"Using the blood of James and other donors, the team has successfully recreated and grown his antibody in the lab — with the hope it will one day help prevent [HDFN], not just for pregnant women in Australia, but also worldwide," Lifeblood noted.

James Harrison’s whole family is donors, including his late wife Barbara Lindbeck and his grandson Scott. He is survived by his sister Margaret Thrift, his daughter Tracey Mellowship, two grandsons and four great-grandchildren.