Australia's most prolific blood and plasma donor, James Harrison, has died at age 88. Known as the "Man with the Golden Arm," Harrison is credited with saving the lives of 2.4 million babies over the course of more than half a century.
Harrison died "peacefully in his sleep" at a nursing home on Feb. 17, Lifeblood — the Australian Red Cross branch responsible for blood donations — announced on Saturday.
Harrison donated blood and plasma a whopping 1,173 times, according to Lifeblood, every two weeks between 1954 and 2018. All but 10 were from his right arm, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
He "never missed a single appointment," the agency said, and "expected nothing in return." Blood donors are not compensated financially under Australian law.
"James was a remarkable, stoically kind, and generous person who was committed to a lifetime of giving and he captured the hearts of many people around the world," Lifeblood CEO Stephen Cornelissen said in a statement.
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