As a 14-year old Australian boy James Harrison, after major surgery, was saved by blood transfusions. In his gratitude, he pledged that he would donate blood as soon as he had turned 18–the required age at that time. In the 1960s, many babies in Australia were dying each year as a result of a blood disease. Doctors found that the babies could be saved by injecting their pregnant mothers with a treatment made from donated plasma with a rare antibody. Researchers scoured blood banks to see whose blood might contain this antibody and found a donor: James Harrison. In half a century since, it is estimated, that Harrison’s blood has saved 2.4 million babies. Read this heart-warming story! (The Washington Post uses a paywall if you have consumed your monthly allowance of free articles).
This man’s blood saved 2.4 million babies in 60 years
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