WEBVTT - How One Blood Donor Saved Over 2 Million Babies

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogel bomb here. When currently eighty one year old

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<v Speaker 1>John Harrison was just fourteen years old, he received a

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<v Speaker 1>blood transfusion following a major chest surgery. He had a

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<v Speaker 1>lung removed and thirteen units or pints of other people's

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<v Speaker 1>blood that's nearly two gallons, made their life saving way

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<v Speaker 1>into his veins. That transfusion inspired Harrison's later generosity. He

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<v Speaker 1>promised to begin donating once he turned eighteen, and did

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<v Speaker 1>so weakly until May eleven, eighteen, when, according to the

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<v Speaker 1>Australian Red Cross, he gave his final donation. He's fine,

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<v Speaker 1>that's just the maximum age in Australia for giving blood.

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<v Speaker 1>Harrison's prolific donation is notable enough that in two thousand three,

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<v Speaker 1>Guinness World Records recognized his achievement for the most blood

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<v Speaker 1>donated by a single person. His record was broken in

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<v Speaker 1>but would say it's still nothing to sneeze at, and

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<v Speaker 1>Harrison's blood is notable not only for quantity, but also

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<v Speaker 1>for quality. He's credited with saving the lives of more

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<v Speaker 1>than two million Australian babies. Harrison, known in Australia as

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<v Speaker 1>The man with the golden arm produces a rare and

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<v Speaker 1>powerful antibody in his blood called r H d immunoglobin

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<v Speaker 1>or anti D. It protects unborn babies from the potentially

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<v Speaker 1>deadly condition r H incompatibility. When a pregnant woman with

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<v Speaker 1>an r H negative blood type carries a baby with

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<v Speaker 1>RH positive blood, the woman's body mistakenly treats the baby's

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<v Speaker 1>red blood cells like an outside threat. Her body produces

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<v Speaker 1>antibodies to combat what it perceives as an invader, with

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<v Speaker 1>potentially deadly effect. Miscarriage, still birth, fetal brain damage, and

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<v Speaker 1>anemia are all possible outcomes. Australian doctors have theorized that

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<v Speaker 1>the transfusion that Harrison received as a team may have

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<v Speaker 1>contributed to the unique composition of the blood his body

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<v Speaker 1>now produces. Harrison made his final contribution at the town

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<v Speaker 1>Hall Donor Center in Sydney, Australia, surrounded by mothers and

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<v Speaker 1>their children who had benefited from the treatment, as well

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<v Speaker 1>as large silver balloons in the shape of the numerals one,

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<v Speaker 1>one seven, three, one thousand, one hundred and seventy three

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<v Speaker 1>being the number of times Harrison donated blood throughout his life.

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<v Speaker 1>Harrison told a Sydney Morning Herald reporter attending the final donation.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a sad day for me, the end of a

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<v Speaker 1>long run. Robin Barlow, the r H program coordinator who

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<v Speaker 1>recruited James to be the program's first donor, told the

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<v Speaker 1>newspaper every ampule of anti D ever made in Australia

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<v Speaker 1>has James in it. Since the very first mother received

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<v Speaker 1>her dose at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in nineteen sixty seven.

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<v Speaker 1>It's an enormous thing. He's saved millions of babies. Approximately

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<v Speaker 1>seventeen percent of pregnant Australian women received doses of anti D.

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<v Speaker 1>That number includes Harrison's own daughter, Tracy Mellowship, who was

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<v Speaker 1>treated in nineteen two and gave birth to a healthy

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<v Speaker 1>son named Scott in When Scott turned sixteen and eleven,

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<v Speaker 1>he gave his first blood donation, sitting next to his

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<v Speaker 1>grandfather who was marking his thousand. But there's a bit

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<v Speaker 1>of a twist. Harrison, who received the Metal of the

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<v Speaker 1>Order of Australia in nineteen ninety nine, has had a

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<v Speaker 1>lifelong fear of needles. In his more than six decades

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<v Speaker 1>of donating blood, He's never watched a nurse insert and

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<v Speaker 1>needle in his arm, preferring to look away. Today's episode

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<v Speaker 1>was written by Christopher Hasiotis and produced by Tyler Clang.

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<v Speaker 1>For more on this and lots of other heartwarming topics,

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