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Saturday 26 May RNW - NEWS AND ANALYSIS FROM THE NETHERLANDS IN 10 LANGUAGES, WORLDWIDE 24/7 ON RADIO, TV AND ONLINE
James Harrison
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Erina, Australia
Erina, Australia

The Man with the Golden Arm

Published on : 26 October 2011 - 1:00pm | By The State We're In . (Photo: Australian of the Year Awards)
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Australian James Harrison has helped save the lives of over two million babies - all because he has a rare type of blood. And he’s made over 1,000 blood donations during his lifetime, earning him a curious nickname: The Man with the Golden Arm.


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Aged 14, James had a lung removed, an operation that required a massive blood transfusion. He felt he owed a debt for his life, and he’s never stopped paying it back. 

Ten years after he began donating, his blood was found to contain an antibody that could protect babies from Rhesus disease, which causes brain damage or even death. It was the medical equivalent of a magic bullet. James’ blood has since helped hundreds of thousands of women - including his own daughter, Tracey.

Taken from the latest edition of The State We're In - Above and Beyond.

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