James Harrison - our favourite Guiness World Record holder

James has donated blood more times than anyone else on the planet. 

A donor for more than 60 years, our very own Man with the Golden Arm donated 1,173 times, contributing to 3 million doses of anti-D for Australian babies.

James has a precious antibody in his blood that is used to make a life-saving medication (anti-D) that is given to mothers whose Rh-negative blood type can mean their body will see their baby’s Rh-positive blood as a foreign threat, and mount an attack that may even kill their unborn baby.

James has a rare combination of RhD-negative blood and Rh-positive antibodies, something that may have transpired thanks to being a blood recipient himself. As a teenager, James received more than a dozen units of blood during surgery.

It was thanks to James’ prolific efforts as a blood donor that Australia became the first country in the world to be self-sufficient in the supply of anti-D. Today, Lifeblood’s anti-D program draws on a small group of less than 200 blood donors.

In May 2018 James made his last blood donation, retiring at 81 years of age. He said at the time, “I hope it’s a record that somebody breaks, because it will mean they are dedicated to the cause.”

We always need new blood donors, and you never know when we’ll find another human gift like James Harrison. You could be our next World Record holder.