In 1951, 14-year-old James Harrison from Australia woke up after major chest surgery. Doctors removed one of his lungs and hospitalized him for 3 months. During this difficult time, Harrison learned that he survived mainly because of the large amount of transfused blood he received. At that time, he promised to become a blood donor himself. Former Australian law required donors to be over 18, so James had to wait 4 years. And he waited and fulfilled his promise. The Australian Red Cross estimates that James has saved millions of lives through his regular blood donation for as many as 60 years.
