A lifetime of giving; measured in pints

James Harrison is my new hero. I never even heard of him before last week, but I admire what he did.

When James was fourteen years old, he nearly died and had to have a lung removed. This left him hospitalized for three months, during which time he received 100 stitches and almost two gallons of donated blood.

The fact that he was the recipient of human kindness, from anonymous strangers that he would never know, inspired James to donate blood himself, starting at age 18 in 1954.

And donate he did. He donated blood and plasma every two weeks. By the time he reached 81, the upper age limit for donors in his native Australia, he had donated blood and plasma a total of 1,181 times.

Harrison’s plasma was rare and special. It contained an unusual antibody called anti-D, which is used to prevent rhesus disease, a potentially fatal condition that occurs when a pregnant woman’s blood is incompatible with that of her unborn child, causing her immune system to attack the baby.

Over the course of more than fifty years, Harrison’s plasma helped save the lives of an estimated 2.4 million children.

Harrison’s generosity did not grow out of abundance or ease, but out of suffering. Having once depended entirely on the kindness of others, he chose to spend his life quietly returning that gift.

When he was done donating, he was asked about his extraordinary record and he told the Sydney Morning Herald, “I’d keep on going if they let me.”

Harrison died of old age last February. However, the children he saved live on because he made room in his life for a simple repeated act of giving.

His story leaves us with the gentle question: what do we do with the kindness we have received? How might we pass it on, in ways both ordinary and faithful?

James Harrison is one of my heroes because he truly showed us what it means to give of yourself in a tangible way.

About the author: Rev. Sharon Smith is pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, writer, and professor. She believes that true heroism rarely announces itself and deeply appreciates ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Contact Sharon at tct@pageone-inc.com