Known as “The Man With the Golden Arm”, 81 year old James Harrison’s blood contains an unusual antibody which can be used to fight rhesus disease, a condition which can cause brain damage or death in fetuses.
Harrison made a pledge to give blood when he was 14 years old, when donated blood helped save his life following chest surgery. For nearly 60 years, he’s made weekly donations and his charity has had substantial effects in his native Australia: before 1967, thousands of babies died from rhesus every year but, according to the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, since then, Harrison’s blood...