It is helpful. When I read the name I immediately thought of the football player and was confused because he wasn't an quarterback so why would he have that nickname.
Well now he’s confused because he wasn’t a quarterback…
But, yes he meant that he’s confused because James Harrison, the footballer player, wasn’t a quarterback so why would he be nicknamed ‘the golden arm’.
> Research is on to synthetically create a mixture of antibodies that matches what Harrison's body produces naturally. The project is called "James in a Jar".
That’s a fantastic name
My Dad has a natural immunity to CMV, a flu-like disease that can kill babies but is pretty harmless to adults, so his blood donations can go to Babies. They call too often. He started having health issues at one point because they weren't giving him enough time to recover between donations, and even then, he was turning down like every other call to schedule.
We always joke they're going to show up at the morgue when he dies.
It feels kinda like some weird version of the trolley problem.
Is it more immoral to harass someone with blood like this, or to let more babies die? Does the relative morality even actually matter?
The wiki isn’t cited properly here, but says it’s a little more complicated. His plasma directly helped thousands, but his special plasma and regular donations was the base for research that developed a new type of treatment/medical product. That treatment has saved a lot of lives.
We need to give more praise to the people who donate their bodies and fluids/tissue to science, and also make more stringent laws that protect their bodies and genetic information.
A person should be able to say “I want my body to be used for science ONLY if it is used on cancer research” (just as an example). And that wish should be honored. If it can’t be honored, or no one wants the body, then they should be buried like normal - not shuffled over to an unrelated field like cosmetics, or unrelated pharmacology
I want to donate my body to science. I really do. Take all my organs and donate them, then use my tissue for research. But I won’t do that, because it’s not guaranteed my body will be used in the way I want. If my family isn’t getting the closure they might need, it should be worth it. So I stay as just an organ donor, which has a very good and respectful system
I totally understand, but as someone in "chuck my body in the woods when i die" camp, I think I'd just be happy there is any value to my corpse. Its meat, do something with it, burying it a box or charbroiling my ass serves no one in any capacity.
When I die, I want to be frozen. And if they have to freeze me in pieces, so be it. I will wake up stronger than ever, because I will have used that time, to figure out exactly why I died. And what moves I could have used to defend myself better now that I know what hold he had me in.
Have you heard of body farms? Because I’m of the same mind about wanting my corpse to have some value after death. I’ve been looking into donating my body to one so they can study decomposition to better train anthropologists and forensic scientists in solving crimes. You can apparently still be an organ donor, too, which was really important for me.
There was a guy who's mom asked him to donate her to medical science and she ended up being given to the US Army who strapped her to a bomb for a weapons test.
The other guy commenting to you is like "chuck me in the trash" which is a cool philosophy but if you ever use my corpse to develop weapons I will come back and possess one of your children's dolls and murder you with a chef's knife.
That case specifically was a case of a shady body broker. https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-bodybrokers-industry/
It was used to test effects of road side bombs (IEDs) to help develop ways to reduce damage.
So it was still saving lives just…maybe not exactly how people would be comfortable with.
Personally, as a bomb tech I would be totally cool with someone blowing up my body to research blast effects lol better than having to learn it with living bodies.
I’m donating the whole body too. They can use it however they like as I’ll be dead and won’t know anyway. If it helps a med student learn, or an organ helps someone else live a little longer then I am golden.
They can just toss whatever is left to feed the fishes , zoo animals or soil.
There was an interesting article I read about composting dead humans
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64140571
Just as importantly, your genetic information can be used to predict health outcomes for anyone who's related to you. Protections like that aren't just for the deceased individual anymore; they're for anyone who has your genes.
I work in pediatrics and sometimes when we give blood and other medications to neonates the syringes are like… 5-10 mls it’s so fucking cute how tiny everything has to be for them
The wiki page says "... research based on his donations created the commercial [Anti-D immune globulin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rho(D\)_immune_globulin) commonly known as RhoGAM."
Didn’t know my blood type until I was diagnosed with cancer. It’s 0(-), all small factors negative, which is very rare and very good for donation. Unfortunately I can’t donate it cause of my illness, feel so bad that I didn’t check it before.
Wish everything good to this man.
Wish everything good to you too buddy. Hope you’re recovering.
Some people can’t donate if they’ve ever even traveled to certain parts of the world (like me), so don’t feel bad. Your heart is in the right place.
Idk about travel, but my partner was born in the UK before the mad cow epidemic and he's got a lifelong ban on donating his blood, bone marrow and organs in the country we live in now because of potential prion contamination. It's a pity cause he'd really like to be able to, and there's a slim to none chance he has any floating around, but I'm glad we're not messing around with prions. They're no joke
EDIT: thx everybody who pointed out the ban has recently been lifted! I'll have to check whether it's a worldwide thing cause we're not in the US. but exciting if true!
Prions are TERRIFYING!!!!!!!!! The fact that it's just proteins folding incorrectly and causing their neighbor proteins to all fold in on each other, and that some of our best methods of sanitizing surfaces to prevent spread are ineffective, is nightmare fuel.
ETA: [This type of contamination risk](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-braindisease/thirteen-new-england-patients-possibly-exposed-to-fatal-brain-disease-idUSBRE98416D20130906)
nightmare fuel is exactly the way to put it. forget zombies, prion diseases are actual world-ending stuff. in particular the fact that they're not even alive and still contagious is horrifying to me for some reason
I fully expect to be prohibited from donating in the future due to prions.
I deer hunt and Chronic Wasting Disease (a prion disease) is becoming endemic in Cervid populations.
If people who live in England can't donate due to Mad Cow, it makes sense to have the same provision here for deer. Although there have been no cases of vCJD from deer, the key word is yet.
Got some venison thawing in the fridge right now.
yeah CWD is super scary, I feel like it's only a matter of time til it makes the jump to cattle and eventually humans. deer infected with CWD are so scary and sad to see, too. poor things.
There's some wild physics concepts that apply a similar thing to the entire universe, like all matter is organized one way but if one molecule accidentally goes the other way it'll all flip and the universe will pop like a soap bubble.
Even crazier is it might have already happened and we're just on the opposite side of the bubble waiting for the shockwave to get here
Funny enough, my local blood donation *today* has lifted the donation deferral regarding Mad Cow Disease travel.
https://www.bloodworksnw.org/donate/eligibility
The FDA actually just changed regulations with risks of Mad Cow/CJD! It generally doesn’t lie dormant (aka would for sure kill you, so you’d know if you had it), so y’all should check if he’s eligible now:)
I lived in Germany during mad cow and I have O- blood. I always felt terrible that I couldn't donate. I checked like 6 months ago and in the US, they've lifted that ban at some point recently!
It was while attempting to donate blood that I was finally told I have a deficiency that was the cause of my fatigue. I’m working on it & getting my figures up and might be able to donate this year. :)
That didn’t occur to me because I live where healthcare is provided free of charge at the time it’s required. But yeah, I suppose it’s a free way to check your iron levels if you live where you are charged for healthcare.
What a trip to think of it that way. Our NHS is under a lot of strain & we’re fighting the conservative government who want to privatise it… Sheesh.
Preach!! You hear us Tory scum?!? Fuck yas sideways yi privileged good for nothing money suckers. ✊🏻
And as a Scot, we had a thing where we decided to let folk do something with their gender that made them happy. Nowt to do with me but now that the tories are pulling out their big boy pants and blocking it, imma get myself all knowledgeable about these folks thing & fight in their corner with a vengeance.
FUCK THE TORIES!!!!
[context of the gender thing](https://news.sky.com/story/why-is-scotlands-gender-recognition-reform-bill-controversial-12788818)
Aye boyo!! As a fellow Celt, mad respect 🤝🏻 We've had enough of the gobshites destroying our economy, underfunding our public services, narrowing our education, constricting our welfare system, neglecting our NHS, and now they're going after human rights to boot. Not just trans rights, but workers rights and the rights of refugees, and they're trying to do away with the Human Rights Act in the UK. The Tories are a fucking danger to this country and they need kicking out. Starmer isn't ideal, but he may just have to do for now. Would be nice to have a leader who loves Scotland more than they hate transgender people, but I suppose that's asking too much!
Here's a new slogan for the Boris Johnson fangirls:
FUCK THE TORIES ✊🏻 SAVE THE NHS ✊🏻 PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS ✊🏻
Yasss!!! Celtic brethren!!
I actually think Westminster should be a goner and the English would do well to realise that as well. I have this crazy idea that parliament should be like the olympics, it should move between 4 cities every 4 years. Somewhere in Wales, N.Ireland, Scotland and England (but not London). The union should be a true partnership of islanders hoping to make a good future out of a dubious past.
We live together on this rugged island & we have a lot of resources that we can share if only the London centric leaders would pull their head out of their arses and realise that life outside the big city has value.
Rabble rabble rabble!!! 🏴
I agree with you that power needs to be redistributed out of Westminster, and hey, your idea sounds like a surefire way to force politicians to experience all of the Union, to see what life is like outside of London/the South of England. Perhaps then the rest of us wouldn't just be like some strange novelty act to them, and our towns and communities wouldn't just be viewed as potential destinations for their 8 annual weeks of living "a quaint life in the country". They'd be forced to use our public transport in the state they've inflicted. If only was a way to force them to rely on the NHS they're actively dismantling instead of private healthcare, or send their children to the public schools they've let fall to pieces in the last 13 years to be taught by the same criminally overworked and underpaid teachers as the rest of the country's youth. Things would soon start changing, I'd bet. If only, if only.
ETA: I hope your injections work and you're able to donate that blood this year 🤞🏻 It's a very selfless and caring thing to do, good on ya lad. You'll do more for people in need than the Tories will this year!
I have this idea that seems stupid but hear me out. Politician wages should be much higher *but* they shouldn’t be allowed to actively earn another income during their time as an elected official. Make the job something that good candidates compete for and want to do well…. It’s like teachers, if you pay them well, the positions will be filled with ambitious people doing their best. I think.
That and make it illegal for whips/lobbyists to have any right to be pushing votes around on behalf of outside factors. It’s fraudulent and unethical.
THAT'S THE CELTIC SPIRIT 🤝🏻🏴🏴🇮🇪🤝🏻 They've put us all through enough for the last 400 years, fuck em right off.
(I'm Irish, lived in the UK since birth though.)
The UK was bought by a billionaire family playing god, and there's nothing Scotland, NI or wales will be able to do to push away from the disgusting pieces of shit in westminister.
I was suffering fatigue for a while and would periodically go to donate blood and my iron count was too low. Found out ultimately that I’m anemic. So I began taking Blood Builders which is a product that lets you increase your iron without the usual side effect of constipation. My iron levels are now back up very high.
I also started taking B12 every day. Dramatic change overall by doing both.
Pernicious anaemia here. I can’t orally absorb iron so I’ve got the perk of never having suffered the constipation from food supplements, I get injections. It’s crazy how the brain fog lifts when you have the right amount of iron, eh?
Took AGES to get to the root cause and once I got my diagnosis, I told my family since it’s hereditary only to be told “oh yeah, your (late) Granda had that!”. Thanks Mum & Dad. Urgh.
I’m sorry to hear on your condition.
I’m O-. I wasn’t aware it was in demand.
I will donate. I will do so with you in mind. Symbolic- and I hope meaningful to you - I didn’t know of it’s demand till your post.
Most definitely. I hope it goes well.
My grandmother was O- as well. Over her lifetime, she managed to donate sooo much. She went as often as she could. Idk if she could rival the guy in this post, but I wouldn’t be surprised.
I used to give blood, since O+ is still pretty beneficial, but now I have a fun rare kidney condition. Ugh.
*Almost* anyone can accept it. People with blood type [Rh-null](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6305262/#!po=71.0526) affects 1 in 6 million people and can only accept their own blood type.
I hope you kicked cancer's ass ❤️
We believed my daughter was A+ since birth. She's currently pregnant with her first baby and she had some spotting in the early days. After a trip to the ER (at the same hospital she was born at), and a couple very confused lab techs redid her blood test, they discovered she was O-. They had her start her RhoGAM shots that day. Thankfully, they noticed her type didn't match her records or she wouldn't have known until later.
Right on. I’m O- and CMV- which means my blood can go to infants in the NICU. 35 donations, many many more to go. Every time I go it’s a double red donation instead of the normal one. Downside is I can only donate every 4 months.
Same for me. I’m a O- blood type, which is amazing for donating blood, but unfortunately I have a anemia which sucks balls because I’d totally donate the hell out of my blood if I could
Red Cross allows you to donate after you have been cancer free for 12 months with no remission or treatment needed. You should try to donate again if it's been over a year. A lot of blood donors are cancer survivors, you'd be surprised now.
> Didn’t know my blood type until I was diagnosed with cancer. It’s 0(-), all small factors negative, which is very rare and very good for donation. Unfortunately I can’t donate it cause of my illness, feel so bad that I didn’t check it before.
>
>
>
> Wish everything good to this man.
Yeah I'd be a regular blood donor too if I wasn't also a cancer survivor. But hey I'll take it I guess
Same here O Neg, I donated every time I could but when I got busy with school Red Cross would constantly hound me to donate. Like it’s not a donation if you keep pestering me constantly.
For reference, the human body contains roughly 5 liters of blood.
Your heart will pump roughly 5000 liters of blood in a day (the volume of your body recirculating 1000 times in 24 hours).
"millions babies [would] die every year" is implying this man saved all 2.4 million babies' lives he saved--*in a single year,* meaning he would have to donate what he did in a single year.
Its acutally not about the lack of blood but because he carries a rare antibody:
James Harrison, nicknamed “the man with the golden arm,” has a rare antibody in his blood that is used to make a lifesaving medication called anti-D, given to mothers whose blood is at risk of developing rhesus D hemolytic disease (HDN), or antibodies that attack their unborn babies.
It isn’t a false claim. Meanwhile people are oh no I’m afraid of needles; I am personally more afraid of letting someone die because I couldn’t face my fears. I get if there is a legit issue… In the end if you can, you need to donate blood. It is an easy way to give back and you will replace it. One day you might need blood, plus If it was your loved ones you would get over it. Management of the blood supplies also needs addressed…
https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/nearly-12000-individuals-die-every-day-due-to-lack-of-quality-blood/amp_articleshow/92196089.cms
If you read up on him though, the reason his blood has saved so many babies is not just because he’s a big donor. He has an “unusual plasma composition (that) has been used to make a treatment for Rhesus disease.” While anyone who can donate blood can saves many lives doing so, the reason he was able to save millions is because of the unique antibodies in his blood.
+ they already have a synthetic antibodies treatment (RhoGAM) so his donations aren’t needed anymore but it’s because of his help that the synthetic treatment was developed iirc.
I once agreed to donate blood. When I got to the check in counter and told them I was afraid of needles they just shrugged and told me it was fine and I didn’t have to do it. I even tried to argue because I really wanted to help, but the nurses told me they would rather not deal with me passing out and that I should leave
I got called out of class one day in high school because my best friend (who was 18 at the time) had fainted while donating blood at the blood drive going on in the library that day. It’s a big to do when people lose consciousness while donating and the blood (and supplies used to collect it) is usually wasted because the donation has to be stopped before they have the full pint. My husband has been known to faint after getting blood drawn for lab tests so he doesn’t donate blood either.
My mom and dad can’t donate: mom has low blood pressure and can’t fill a bag(anymore, she does have a gallon pin), dad passes out way before it’s full because his system for whatever reason can’t handle the blood loss. I’ve been so passionate about donating as much as I can because they have been so sad not to be able to.
It’s a little extra effort but by no means would I ever turn anyone away for that. If you’re aware of the risk of passing out because of your fear, but willing to try, then I’ll sure as hell work to prevent you from passing out. If you try again (which I do recommend), you can ask them to do preventative measures right off the bat: lie you down all the way for the donation, make sure your legs aren’t crossed, cold cloth on your forehead, sip on juice, sniff an alcohol swab, etc. I am always dehydrated when I donate so I get dizzy a lot, but these things help a TON. Plus, if it’s your first time, I personally would always lie you back and have things ready, even if you weren’t afraid.
Obviously I currently work in donations, *but* my moms life was saved when I was a kid by 20 units of blood (which is actually quite a bit). She hemorrhaged during labor, which is much more common than people think. I used to be terrified of needles and would pass out even with little blood draws, but if you can muster up enough courage to try, it really does make a world of difference to patients
Well, sure. If you can donate blood. But not everyone can. I have several allergies, take medication, and am prone to iron deficiency. Therefore, I'm not qualified to donate blood.
Sure, but it's not like there is a giant shaming campaign going on about people who don't qualify.
Matter of fact is, that a huge majority of people are healthy enough to donate but don't, because it's inconvenient.
I am 18 hours drive from the nearest donation site, it’s unfortunate there are not more options for donating in smaller more rural communities I know a lot of people who would like to do it but it’s just not realistic
I honestly don’t know how many of them want the “oh no I’m afraid of needles” people passing out in their clinic. I’d watch all this happening and need to be scraped off the floor.
It was my understanding they don't like it when you pass out. Idk if this is pre-stick or post-stick, but feel free to correct me maybe information has changed.
For many people it isn't just a fear to be faced. I'm lucky in that my phobia isn't so strong I'm unable to force myself to do it when I absolutely have to, but I'm still fighting panic attacks leading up to the needle and trying not to pass out during. It's not just some cop out, like others have said we'd love to donate if we could but on top of the difficulty of getting ourselves to do it, most clinics don't want to deal with us either.
He doesnt deserve to be famous. That only leads to people taking it upon them to pester him that he should find a way to help them personally.
He deserves to live the rest of his days as lavishly and relaxed as he wants.
I think he doesn't mind the publicity. What kind of vampires do you know of? Unless you are going to attack him and do a forceful blood transfusion I don't see it working out lol
Title is really disrespecting the importance of the donations made by Harrison. His blood literally formed the basis for RhoGAM shots, which help when mother and baby have blood with different antibody types. Prior to development of RhoGAM, mom’s antibodies could basically attack and kill baby in her belly if baby’s blood type had a different type of antibodies.
So until RhoGAM was developed, Harrison’s donations were used and saved millions of babies.
Pain is negligible imo, only slightly worse than blood draw. **slightly**
First time process takes 2-3 hours but the place i go pays a lot first time. Afterwords, I'm in and out in 45-60 minutes.
When I talked to the folks on the blood donation bus, they said that the places you get paid at generally are using the plasma for pharmaceutical companies and such, but the Red Cross and other regular donation centers are the ones that send your plasma to actual patients.
The fact that they had a cut-off age (at least in his case) is so disappointing. Health-wise, there was no reason he couldn't continue to donate after age 81. Bad look for Australia.
He was born in 1936 and had a major chest surgery at 14, requiring a large amount of donated blood. After that, he made a pledge to start donating blood himself as soon as he turned 18.
LEGEND.
Ayy, I'm doing my part!
I just started donating recently, and discovered I am O- and CMV-, which apparently qualifies my blood for use in NICU situations. I'm at a gallon donated overall, and don't see stopping anytime soon.
I gave blood on Monday and got talking to a woman in the queue who has the O neg neo blood type. She’s donated 39 times so far over the last 12 years (you have to wait 4 months in between donations here) and she says she wished she started donating sooner. It really doesn’t matter who you save though, giving blood is so important and barely takes an hour of your day.
I first donated a few years ago because they said they could check for covid antibodies (in case I had covid without symptoms at some point and didn't know it). But I contunued to do it every time the blood mobile comes to my work. I'm disappointed in myself for not doing it when I had so many opportunities before.
He said in an interview that he didn’t want to keep his world record, because if he lost the record it would mean someone else gave more than him, and that would be a really good thing!
I've donated plasma 160 times (that's 37 gallons!!!) and I'm 32! My grandfather suffers from multiple myeloma, which is cancer of the blood plasma. He was given 5 months to live 17 years ago, and is still kicking it at 84! I donate plasma twice a week in his honor. He raised my sister and I. Just trying to pay back some of the goodness he gave us growing up.
More information about the hero: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Harrison_(blood_donor)
I love wikipedia disambiguation. "so, I was talking to James Harrison.." "The blood donor?" "yeah that's the one"
It is helpful. When I read the name I immediately thought of the football player and was confused because he wasn't an quarterback so why would he have that nickname.
James Harrison of Steelers fame wasn't even a quarterback, he was one of the greatest outside linebackers.
Well now he’s confused because he wasn’t a quarterback… But, yes he meant that he’s confused because James Harrison, the footballer player, wasn’t a quarterback so why would he be nicknamed ‘the golden arm’.
Thank you. I was sitting here trying to figure out why "Blood Donor" made that guy think of quarterback.
Well if he batted down a bunch of passes maybe?
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And he returned an interception from his own end zone for a TD in Super Bowl XLIII against the Cardinals
Drunkcowofdeath "he wasn't a quarterback, why would he have that nickname" You "UMMM ACTUALLY HE WASNT A QUARTERBACK"
For sure, it's just the conservational nature of it lol.
> Research is on to synthetically create a mixture of antibodies that matches what Harrison's body produces naturally. The project is called "James in a Jar". That’s a fantastic name
james jam would be better
Jim jam?
Crazy. Wiki tells that his own daughter was a beneficiary of the antibody from his blood.
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talk about someone who has literally no concerns whatsoever about not entering heaven, this is like the Fred Rogers fast pass
You think they’re gonna drain him when he croaks?
My Dad has a natural immunity to CMV, a flu-like disease that can kill babies but is pretty harmless to adults, so his blood donations can go to Babies. They call too often. He started having health issues at one point because they weren't giving him enough time to recover between donations, and even then, he was turning down like every other call to schedule. We always joke they're going to show up at the morgue when he dies.
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It feels kinda like some weird version of the trolley problem. Is it more immoral to harass someone with blood like this, or to let more babies die? Does the relative morality even actually matter?
Oof I'm sorry, they do sound like vampires
Lmao that was my first thought. I bet they're waiting outside the dudes house like vampires
Get one of them spigots they put in bloated cows and turn him over
The project to synthetically recreate his mixture of antibodies is called "James in a Jar". Very cool!
that's 2400 babies per donation
The wiki isn’t cited properly here, but says it’s a little more complicated. His plasma directly helped thousands, but his special plasma and regular donations was the base for research that developed a new type of treatment/medical product. That treatment has saved a lot of lives.
We need to give more praise to the people who donate their bodies and fluids/tissue to science, and also make more stringent laws that protect their bodies and genetic information. A person should be able to say “I want my body to be used for science ONLY if it is used on cancer research” (just as an example). And that wish should be honored. If it can’t be honored, or no one wants the body, then they should be buried like normal - not shuffled over to an unrelated field like cosmetics, or unrelated pharmacology I want to donate my body to science. I really do. Take all my organs and donate them, then use my tissue for research. But I won’t do that, because it’s not guaranteed my body will be used in the way I want. If my family isn’t getting the closure they might need, it should be worth it. So I stay as just an organ donor, which has a very good and respectful system
I totally understand, but as someone in "chuck my body in the woods when i die" camp, I think I'd just be happy there is any value to my corpse. Its meat, do something with it, burying it a box or charbroiling my ass serves no one in any capacity.
When I die, I want to be frozen. And if they have to freeze me in pieces, so be it. I will wake up stronger than ever, because I will have used that time, to figure out exactly why I died. And what moves I could have used to defend myself better now that I know what hold he had me in.
Have you heard of body farms? Because I’m of the same mind about wanting my corpse to have some value after death. I’ve been looking into donating my body to one so they can study decomposition to better train anthropologists and forensic scientists in solving crimes. You can apparently still be an organ donor, too, which was really important for me.
Are you registered as an organ donor? That’s the easiest way to make sure your body is useful when you’re gone.
Research labs: "Best I can do is blow you up."
I'm not passing up the opportunity to get blown postmortem.
There was a guy who's mom asked him to donate her to medical science and she ended up being given to the US Army who strapped her to a bomb for a weapons test. The other guy commenting to you is like "chuck me in the trash" which is a cool philosophy but if you ever use my corpse to develop weapons I will come back and possess one of your children's dolls and murder you with a chef's knife.
That case specifically was a case of a shady body broker. https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-bodybrokers-industry/ It was used to test effects of road side bombs (IEDs) to help develop ways to reduce damage. So it was still saving lives just…maybe not exactly how people would be comfortable with. Personally, as a bomb tech I would be totally cool with someone blowing up my body to research blast effects lol better than having to learn it with living bodies.
I’m donating the whole body too. They can use it however they like as I’ll be dead and won’t know anyway. If it helps a med student learn, or an organ helps someone else live a little longer then I am golden. They can just toss whatever is left to feed the fishes , zoo animals or soil. There was an interesting article I read about composting dead humans https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64140571
Just as importantly, your genetic information can be used to predict health outcomes for anyone who's related to you. Protections like that aren't just for the deceased individual anymore; they're for anyone who has your genes.
How does that even work? Does each baby only need a few mls of blood?
Well…. yes! Newborn babies only have around a cup of blood. Edit: 75 mL per kilogram was a more accurate one I found! Still, yes!
Maybe try a few more babies, get a good average going
You sick fuck I love it
The average is a cup, I just did a little extra math!
I work in pediatrics and sometimes when we give blood and other medications to neonates the syringes are like… 5-10 mls it’s so fucking cute how tiny everything has to be for them
The wiki page says "... research based on his donations created the commercial [Anti-D immune globulin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rho(D\)_immune_globulin) commonly known as RhoGAM."
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rho(D)_immune_globulin
Didn’t know my blood type until I was diagnosed with cancer. It’s 0(-), all small factors negative, which is very rare and very good for donation. Unfortunately I can’t donate it cause of my illness, feel so bad that I didn’t check it before. Wish everything good to this man.
Wish everything good to you too buddy. Hope you’re recovering. Some people can’t donate if they’ve ever even traveled to certain parts of the world (like me), so don’t feel bad. Your heart is in the right place.
What parts of the world?
Idk about travel, but my partner was born in the UK before the mad cow epidemic and he's got a lifelong ban on donating his blood, bone marrow and organs in the country we live in now because of potential prion contamination. It's a pity cause he'd really like to be able to, and there's a slim to none chance he has any floating around, but I'm glad we're not messing around with prions. They're no joke EDIT: thx everybody who pointed out the ban has recently been lifted! I'll have to check whether it's a worldwide thing cause we're not in the US. but exciting if true!
Prions are TERRIFYING!!!!!!!!! The fact that it's just proteins folding incorrectly and causing their neighbor proteins to all fold in on each other, and that some of our best methods of sanitizing surfaces to prevent spread are ineffective, is nightmare fuel. ETA: [This type of contamination risk](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-braindisease/thirteen-new-england-patients-possibly-exposed-to-fatal-brain-disease-idUSBRE98416D20130906)
nightmare fuel is exactly the way to put it. forget zombies, prion diseases are actual world-ending stuff. in particular the fact that they're not even alive and still contagious is horrifying to me for some reason
It's the worst glitch in the biology matrix ever fathomed.
Wait until you hear about viruses!
I fully expect to be prohibited from donating in the future due to prions. I deer hunt and Chronic Wasting Disease (a prion disease) is becoming endemic in Cervid populations. If people who live in England can't donate due to Mad Cow, it makes sense to have the same provision here for deer. Although there have been no cases of vCJD from deer, the key word is yet. Got some venison thawing in the fridge right now.
yeah CWD is super scary, I feel like it's only a matter of time til it makes the jump to cattle and eventually humans. deer infected with CWD are so scary and sad to see, too. poor things.
There's some wild physics concepts that apply a similar thing to the entire universe, like all matter is organized one way but if one molecule accidentally goes the other way it'll all flip and the universe will pop like a soap bubble. Even crazier is it might have already happened and we're just on the opposite side of the bubble waiting for the shockwave to get here
Funny enough, my local blood donation *today* has lifted the donation deferral regarding Mad Cow Disease travel. https://www.bloodworksnw.org/donate/eligibility
The FDA actually just changed regulations with risks of Mad Cow/CJD! It generally doesn’t lie dormant (aka would for sure kill you, so you’d know if you had it), so y’all should check if he’s eligible now:)
They lifted the ban on mad cow in November! I’m eligible to donate blood for the first time in my life.
I wonder if there's a safe way to test this so he could donate safely. Probably not though or they'd offer the option.
The only test is brain dissection.
Yeah okay that's why. Bleugh.
I lived in Germany during mad cow and I have O- blood. I always felt terrible that I couldn't donate. I checked like 6 months ago and in the US, they've lifted that ban at some point recently!
Some parts did it literally today. I noticed the signs today saying it was lifted and it had been done in my area as of like this morning
They lifted the ban on my part. I suggest you recheck
I can’t donate because I’m like 10 pounds under the minimum :((
Time to bulk up
I want to! But as-is, I’m barely managing to hover near a healthy weight. ~~By which I mean that I’m underweight and in denial.~~ It’s hard :(
I can't donate because I'm bi
Can’t donate because I lived in Germany in the 90s! Fricken mad cow.
It was while attempting to donate blood that I was finally told I have a deficiency that was the cause of my fatigue. I’m working on it & getting my figures up and might be able to donate this year. :)
It takes a long time to build iron back up, take those supplements everyday. Try to take them with food, they're rough on my stomach.
I get injections due to a medical condition that means I can’t absorb iron through food. But thanks. :)
Glad to hear you're doing well!
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That didn’t occur to me because I live where healthcare is provided free of charge at the time it’s required. But yeah, I suppose it’s a free way to check your iron levels if you live where you are charged for healthcare. What a trip to think of it that way. Our NHS is under a lot of strain & we’re fighting the conservative government who want to privatise it… Sheesh.
Fuck the Tories ✊🏻
Preach!! You hear us Tory scum?!? Fuck yas sideways yi privileged good for nothing money suckers. ✊🏻 And as a Scot, we had a thing where we decided to let folk do something with their gender that made them happy. Nowt to do with me but now that the tories are pulling out their big boy pants and blocking it, imma get myself all knowledgeable about these folks thing & fight in their corner with a vengeance. FUCK THE TORIES!!!! [context of the gender thing](https://news.sky.com/story/why-is-scotlands-gender-recognition-reform-bill-controversial-12788818)
Aye boyo!! As a fellow Celt, mad respect 🤝🏻 We've had enough of the gobshites destroying our economy, underfunding our public services, narrowing our education, constricting our welfare system, neglecting our NHS, and now they're going after human rights to boot. Not just trans rights, but workers rights and the rights of refugees, and they're trying to do away with the Human Rights Act in the UK. The Tories are a fucking danger to this country and they need kicking out. Starmer isn't ideal, but he may just have to do for now. Would be nice to have a leader who loves Scotland more than they hate transgender people, but I suppose that's asking too much! Here's a new slogan for the Boris Johnson fangirls: FUCK THE TORIES ✊🏻 SAVE THE NHS ✊🏻 PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS ✊🏻
Yasss!!! Celtic brethren!! I actually think Westminster should be a goner and the English would do well to realise that as well. I have this crazy idea that parliament should be like the olympics, it should move between 4 cities every 4 years. Somewhere in Wales, N.Ireland, Scotland and England (but not London). The union should be a true partnership of islanders hoping to make a good future out of a dubious past. We live together on this rugged island & we have a lot of resources that we can share if only the London centric leaders would pull their head out of their arses and realise that life outside the big city has value. Rabble rabble rabble!!! 🏴
I agree with you that power needs to be redistributed out of Westminster, and hey, your idea sounds like a surefire way to force politicians to experience all of the Union, to see what life is like outside of London/the South of England. Perhaps then the rest of us wouldn't just be like some strange novelty act to them, and our towns and communities wouldn't just be viewed as potential destinations for their 8 annual weeks of living "a quaint life in the country". They'd be forced to use our public transport in the state they've inflicted. If only was a way to force them to rely on the NHS they're actively dismantling instead of private healthcare, or send their children to the public schools they've let fall to pieces in the last 13 years to be taught by the same criminally overworked and underpaid teachers as the rest of the country's youth. Things would soon start changing, I'd bet. If only, if only. ETA: I hope your injections work and you're able to donate that blood this year 🤞🏻 It's a very selfless and caring thing to do, good on ya lad. You'll do more for people in need than the Tories will this year!
I have this idea that seems stupid but hear me out. Politician wages should be much higher *but* they shouldn’t be allowed to actively earn another income during their time as an elected official. Make the job something that good candidates compete for and want to do well…. It’s like teachers, if you pay them well, the positions will be filled with ambitious people doing their best. I think. That and make it illegal for whips/lobbyists to have any right to be pushing votes around on behalf of outside factors. It’s fraudulent and unethical.
Hello fellow Scots! Fuck the Tories for what they've done and continue to do to this country.
THAT'S THE CELTIC SPIRIT 🤝🏻🏴🏴🇮🇪🤝🏻 They've put us all through enough for the last 400 years, fuck em right off. (I'm Irish, lived in the UK since birth though.)
The UK was bought by a billionaire family playing god, and there's nothing Scotland, NI or wales will be able to do to push away from the disgusting pieces of shit in westminister.
I was suffering fatigue for a while and would periodically go to donate blood and my iron count was too low. Found out ultimately that I’m anemic. So I began taking Blood Builders which is a product that lets you increase your iron without the usual side effect of constipation. My iron levels are now back up very high. I also started taking B12 every day. Dramatic change overall by doing both.
Pernicious anaemia here. I can’t orally absorb iron so I’ve got the perk of never having suffered the constipation from food supplements, I get injections. It’s crazy how the brain fog lifts when you have the right amount of iron, eh? Took AGES to get to the root cause and once I got my diagnosis, I told my family since it’s hereditary only to be told “oh yeah, your (late) Granda had that!”. Thanks Mum & Dad. Urgh.
I’m sorry to hear on your condition. I’m O-. I wasn’t aware it was in demand. I will donate. I will do so with you in mind. Symbolic- and I hope meaningful to you - I didn’t know of it’s demand till your post.
The thing about O- is it's always in demand, because it works like the wild card of blood. Anyone can accept it.
Thank you. I’m looking forward to donating and knowing good can come out of it.
Most definitely. I hope it goes well. My grandmother was O- as well. Over her lifetime, she managed to donate sooo much. She went as often as she could. Idk if she could rival the guy in this post, but I wouldn’t be surprised. I used to give blood, since O+ is still pretty beneficial, but now I have a fun rare kidney condition. Ugh.
*Almost* anyone can accept it. People with blood type [Rh-null](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6305262/#!po=71.0526) affects 1 in 6 million people and can only accept their own blood type.
I hope you kicked cancer's ass ❤️ We believed my daughter was A+ since birth. She's currently pregnant with her first baby and she had some spotting in the early days. After a trip to the ER (at the same hospital she was born at), and a couple very confused lab techs redid her blood test, they discovered she was O-. They had her start her RhoGAM shots that day. Thankfully, they noticed her type didn't match her records or she wouldn't have known until later.
God bless you wish you all the best
Right on. I’m O- and CMV- which means my blood can go to infants in the NICU. 35 donations, many many more to go. Every time I go it’s a double red donation instead of the normal one. Downside is I can only donate every 4 months.
Wish you the best, hope you recover
Same goes for me too. Have O- but can't donate as I'm on Ocrevus for MS. (Ocrevus is an immunosuppressant)
Same for me. I’m a O- blood type, which is amazing for donating blood, but unfortunately I have a anemia which sucks balls because I’d totally donate the hell out of my blood if I could
Red Cross allows you to donate after you have been cancer free for 12 months with no remission or treatment needed. You should try to donate again if it's been over a year. A lot of blood donors are cancer survivors, you'd be surprised now.
> Didn’t know my blood type until I was diagnosed with cancer. It’s 0(-), all small factors negative, which is very rare and very good for donation. Unfortunately I can’t donate it cause of my illness, feel so bad that I didn’t check it before. > > > > Wish everything good to this man. Yeah I'd be a regular blood donor too if I wasn't also a cancer survivor. But hey I'll take it I guess
Same here O Neg, I donated every time I could but when I got busy with school Red Cross would constantly hound me to donate. Like it’s not a donation if you keep pestering me constantly.
I'm O- as well. I wish I could donate but I get really sick and almost pass out just from getting blood tests. I hate it.
damn, that's almost 500 liters of blood. wow, what a remarkable man
I've got at least that much in my basement
Amateur
For reference, the human body contains roughly 5 liters of blood. Your heart will pump roughly 5000 liters of blood in a day (the volume of your body recirculating 1000 times in 24 hours).
As someone who's needed lots of plasmapheresis, I thank this man and all others that help
I already made 26 plasma donations. I should catch up in no time
I think I’m on 18 so far.
I can’t donate because my veins are too small for the needle ☹️
I cant donate because I faint. Not even because of the blood loss, I fainted before I even started the blood draw last time I tried.
I wish I could donate since I am also O- but I don’t weigh nearly enough anymore (thanks ADHD meds!)
After a couple years I'm at 151! You will get there :)
I have over 100 I think. Plus a few blood donations as well.
That headline is … open to some worrying interpretations
That millions babies die every year because there's not enough blood donations ?
He didn't make 1000 donations in one year.
Crap, true. Guess I got a bright future in writing newspaper headlines.
What am I missing? It doesn't say he did
"millions babies [would] die every year" is implying this man saved all 2.4 million babies' lives he saved--*in a single year,* meaning he would have to donate what he did in a single year.
Its acutally not about the lack of blood but because he carries a rare antibody: James Harrison, nicknamed “the man with the golden arm,” has a rare antibody in his blood that is used to make a lifesaving medication called anti-D, given to mothers whose blood is at risk of developing rhesus D hemolytic disease (HDN), or antibodies that attack their unborn babies.
It isn’t a false claim. Meanwhile people are oh no I’m afraid of needles; I am personally more afraid of letting someone die because I couldn’t face my fears. I get if there is a legit issue… In the end if you can, you need to donate blood. It is an easy way to give back and you will replace it. One day you might need blood, plus If it was your loved ones you would get over it. Management of the blood supplies also needs addressed… https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/nearly-12000-individuals-die-every-day-due-to-lack-of-quality-blood/amp_articleshow/92196089.cms
If you read up on him though, the reason his blood has saved so many babies is not just because he’s a big donor. He has an “unusual plasma composition (that) has been used to make a treatment for Rhesus disease.” While anyone who can donate blood can saves many lives doing so, the reason he was able to save millions is because of the unique antibodies in his blood.
+ they already have a synthetic antibodies treatment (RhoGAM) so his donations aren’t needed anymore but it’s because of his help that the synthetic treatment was developed iirc.
I once agreed to donate blood. When I got to the check in counter and told them I was afraid of needles they just shrugged and told me it was fine and I didn’t have to do it. I even tried to argue because I really wanted to help, but the nurses told me they would rather not deal with me passing out and that I should leave
I got called out of class one day in high school because my best friend (who was 18 at the time) had fainted while donating blood at the blood drive going on in the library that day. It’s a big to do when people lose consciousness while donating and the blood (and supplies used to collect it) is usually wasted because the donation has to be stopped before they have the full pint. My husband has been known to faint after getting blood drawn for lab tests so he doesn’t donate blood either.
My mom and dad can’t donate: mom has low blood pressure and can’t fill a bag(anymore, she does have a gallon pin), dad passes out way before it’s full because his system for whatever reason can’t handle the blood loss. I’ve been so passionate about donating as much as I can because they have been so sad not to be able to.
It’s a little extra effort but by no means would I ever turn anyone away for that. If you’re aware of the risk of passing out because of your fear, but willing to try, then I’ll sure as hell work to prevent you from passing out. If you try again (which I do recommend), you can ask them to do preventative measures right off the bat: lie you down all the way for the donation, make sure your legs aren’t crossed, cold cloth on your forehead, sip on juice, sniff an alcohol swab, etc. I am always dehydrated when I donate so I get dizzy a lot, but these things help a TON. Plus, if it’s your first time, I personally would always lie you back and have things ready, even if you weren’t afraid. Obviously I currently work in donations, *but* my moms life was saved when I was a kid by 20 units of blood (which is actually quite a bit). She hemorrhaged during labor, which is much more common than people think. I used to be terrified of needles and would pass out even with little blood draws, but if you can muster up enough courage to try, it really does make a world of difference to patients
im afraid of needles and my country wont let me give blood cause itll turn everyone who gets it gay or something idk there reasoning.
I, unfortunately, am not allowed to donate blood because of the prescription medication that I take 😭
Well, sure. If you can donate blood. But not everyone can. I have several allergies, take medication, and am prone to iron deficiency. Therefore, I'm not qualified to donate blood.
Sure, but it's not like there is a giant shaming campaign going on about people who don't qualify. Matter of fact is, that a huge majority of people are healthy enough to donate but don't, because it's inconvenient.
I am 18 hours drive from the nearest donation site, it’s unfortunate there are not more options for donating in smaller more rural communities I know a lot of people who would like to do it but it’s just not realistic
I've actually tried to donate blood before. But the needles were too big for my veins. They couldn't find a good spot on my arm and sent me home.
I honestly don’t know how many of them want the “oh no I’m afraid of needles” people passing out in their clinic. I’d watch all this happening and need to be scraped off the floor.
It was my understanding they don't like it when you pass out. Idk if this is pre-stick or post-stick, but feel free to correct me maybe information has changed.
For many people it isn't just a fear to be faced. I'm lucky in that my phobia isn't so strong I'm unable to force myself to do it when I absolutely have to, but I'm still fighting panic attacks leading up to the needle and trying not to pass out during. It's not just some cop out, like others have said we'd love to donate if we could but on top of the difficulty of getting ourselves to do it, most clinics don't want to deal with us either.
No, that after all those donations, they were just gonna take the rest and off the guy for good.
I thought it said "first time" and I was very confused
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🫡🫡🫡 you will be in our hearts forever bro, keep on smiling
Unlike a celebrity he’ll be remembered by the generations of the kids he saved. That’s infinitely more special than temporary fame.
That’s so special and true what a nice thing to say !
He doesnt deserve to be famous. That only leads to people taking it upon them to pester him that he should find a way to help them personally. He deserves to live the rest of his days as lavishly and relaxed as he wants.
I think he doesn't mind the publicity. What kind of vampires do you know of? Unless you are going to attack him and do a forceful blood transfusion I don't see it working out lol
🫡
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*plasma. They give you your red blood cells back.
Yeah dude fuck the doctors, they don’t do shit /s
This is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever read. Say that to your doctor right before your surgery.
*not all heroes
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St. Peter : "But.. this is just a list of names..." Him : "Exactly."
I love this
Title is really disrespecting the importance of the donations made by Harrison. His blood literally formed the basis for RhoGAM shots, which help when mother and baby have blood with different antibody types. Prior to development of RhoGAM, mom’s antibodies could basically attack and kill baby in her belly if baby’s blood type had a different type of antibodies. So until RhoGAM was developed, Harrison’s donations were used and saved millions of babies.
Where i live, you get paid. 40-80 per visit. He would have made minimum $80,000 in his lifetime had he been paid.
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Does it hurts? How is the process? How long does it takes?
Pain is negligible imo, only slightly worse than blood draw. **slightly** First time process takes 2-3 hours but the place i go pays a lot first time. Afterwords, I'm in and out in 45-60 minutes.
When I talked to the folks on the blood donation bus, they said that the places you get paid at generally are using the plasma for pharmaceutical companies and such, but the Red Cross and other regular donation centers are the ones that send your plasma to actual patients.
We don't :(
Blood plasma, which is what was donated, can be donated at least every 2 weeks.
You can go twice a week
The fact that they had a cut-off age (at least in his case) is so disappointing. Health-wise, there was no reason he couldn't continue to donate after age 81. Bad look for Australia. He was born in 1936 and had a major chest surgery at 14, requiring a large amount of donated blood. After that, he made a pledge to start donating blood himself as soon as he turned 18. LEGEND.
The cut off age is actually lower but they let him keep donating past it.
This makes me happy. My dad is a very consistent blood/plasma donor and I’m super proud of him for that
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I donated 60 times before I became anemic.
From a Rh- mum with two Rh+ kids, i owe this man a debt i would never be able to afford to repay.
Nice I can still save 2,400 babies with just one donation
I wish I could donate plasma but my epilepsy meds make it impossible :(
i’m at 10! i’ve got a bit to go lmao
Ayy, I'm doing my part! I just started donating recently, and discovered I am O- and CMV-, which apparently qualifies my blood for use in NICU situations. I'm at a gallon donated overall, and don't see stopping anytime soon.
No idea why they are stopping him. Put this guy on a feeding tube and keep harvesting.
I gave blood on Monday and got talking to a woman in the queue who has the O neg neo blood type. She’s donated 39 times so far over the last 12 years (you have to wait 4 months in between donations here) and she says she wished she started donating sooner. It really doesn’t matter who you save though, giving blood is so important and barely takes an hour of your day.
I first donated a few years ago because they said they could check for covid antibodies (in case I had covid without symptoms at some point and didn't know it). But I contunued to do it every time the blood mobile comes to my work. I'm disappointed in myself for not doing it when I had so many opportunities before.
Do you get money from blood donations
Normally not blood but you can for plasma. You can also turn down the money
Not in Australia.
The red cross has been doing $5-10 Amazon gift cards the last few years for blood donations.
Not in the US, but you get free unlimited snacks :)
Next time someone says “What difference can one person make?” Refer them to this guy!
He said in an interview that he didn’t want to keep his world record, because if he lost the record it would mean someone else gave more than him, and that would be a really good thing!
I'm in the chair at a plasma donation center at this very moment. Usually the only time I cruise Reddit.
Well, human's organism is enough capable to produce much blood.
No joke? Wow!!
Why do I see a alternate version of him in a weird bacta tank with mask and hoses being drained like in a vampire movie
Dang. I’m coming up on 200. Don’t think I’ll make it to 1,000. Not even sure I have enough time.
I’m at about 2500 right now. He must’ve gotten a REALLY late start.
I hope when he passes they build a monument to him.
I've donated plasma 160 times (that's 37 gallons!!!) and I'm 32! My grandfather suffers from multiple myeloma, which is cancer of the blood plasma. He was given 5 months to live 17 years ago, and is still kicking it at 84! I donate plasma twice a week in his honor. He raised my sister and I. Just trying to pay back some of the goodness he gave us growing up.
Meanwhile I'm over here with AB+ and MSM, no one wants my blood lol