Meet The Australian Man Who’s Blood Has Spared The Lives Of Two Million Babies

On the surface, James Harrison is just an average guy. He loves his daughter and grandchildren, collects stamps, and goes for walks near his home on Australia’s central coast. But it’s what’s under the surface that makes him extraordinary — specifically, what’s flowing in his veins.

Known as “The Man with the Golden Arm,” nearly every week for the past 60 years he has donated blood plasma from his right arm. The reasons can be traced back to a serious medical procedure he underwent as a child.

“In 1951, I had a chest operation where they removed a lung — and I was 14,” recalls Harrison, who is now aged 78.

“When I came out of the operation, or a couple days after, my father was explaining what had happened. He said I had (received) 13 units (liters) of blood and my life had been saved by unknown people. He was a donor himself, so I said when I’m old enough, I’ll become a blood donor.”

A deadly problem

Soon after Harrison became a donor, doctors called him in. His blood, they said, could be the answer to a deadly problem.

“In Australia, up until about 1967, there were literally thousands of babies dying each year, doctors didn’t know why, and it was awful,” explains Jemma Falkenmire, of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. “Women were having numerous miscarriages and babies were being born with brain damage.”

It was the result of rhesus disease — a condition where a pregnant woman’s blood actually starts attacking her unborn baby’s blood cells. In the worst cases it can result in brain damage, or death, for the babies.

Rhesus disease happens when a pregnant woman has rhesus-negative blood (RhD negative) and the baby in her womb has rhesus-positive blood (RhD positive), inherited from its father. If the mother has been sensitized to rhesus-positive blood, usually during a previous pregnancy with an rhesus-positive baby, she may produce antibodies that destroy the baby’s “foreign” blood cells.

Harrison was discovered to have an unusual antibody in his blood and in the 1960s he worked with doctors to use the antibodies to develop an injection called Anti-D. It prevents women with rhesus-negative blood from developing RhD antibodies during pregnancy.

“Australia was one of the first countries to discover a blood donor with this antibody, so it was quite revolutionary at the time,” says Falkenmire.

Precious gift

Harrison’s blood is precious. He and Anti-D are credited with saving the lives of more than 2 million babies, according to the Australian Red Cross blood service: That’s 2 million lives saved by one man’s blood.

“Every bag of blood is precious, but James’ blood is particularly extraordinary,” says Falkenmire. “His blood is actually used to make a life-saving medication, given to moms whose blood is at risk of attacking their unborn babies. Every batch of Anti-D that has ever been made in Australia has come from James’ blood.

“And more than 17% of women in Australia are at risk, so James has helped save a lot of lives.”

One of those lives is that of baby Samuel, who is just five weeks old. His mother, Kristy Pastor, first received the Anti-D injection during her second pregnancy. With Harrison’s antibodies in her blood, little Samuel is her fourth happy and healthy baby.

“They just said you needed the vaccine,” she said. “I didn’t think about it any further, and then looking into it a bit more, I found out about James and how amazing he is and how many donations he’s made, and that it was all because of him.

“I’m grateful and I think James is really selfless to continue to donate, so that we can keep having this vaccine.”

Doctors still aren’t exactly sure why Harrison has this rare blood type but they think it might be from the transfusions he received when he was 14, after his lung surgery. He’s one of no more than 50 people in Australia known to have the antibodies, according the Australian Red Cross blood service.

“I think James is irreplaceable for us,” says Falkenmire.

“I don’t think anyone will be able to do what he’s done, but certainly we do need people to step into his shoes,” she adds. “He will have to retire in the next couple years, and I guess for us the hope is there will be people who will donate, who will also … have this antibody and become life savers in the same way he has, and all we can do is hope there will be people out there generous enough to do it, and selflessly in the way he’s done.”

Harrison is considered a national hero, and has won numerous awards. He’s now donated his plasma more than 1,000 times, but no matter how many times he’s given blood there’s one thing that will never change: “Never once have I watched the needle go in my arm,” he says.

“I look at the ceiling or the nurses, maybe talk to them a bit, but never once have I watched the needle go in my arm. I can’t stand the sight of blood, and I can’t stand pain.”

SOURCE: http://babbyy.com/

D&C much more than abortion!

Often times, women are told to plan their families appropriately and refrain from resorting to abortion as a family planning option. Rather than have an unplanned pregnancy, experts advise use of contraceptive devices and condoms because of the untoward effects abortion could have on a woman.

Unlike family planning methods, experts warn that when women resort to abortion with a common gynecological surgical procedure, known as dilatation and curettage (commonly called D&C), it could be a reason for them in future to have premature babies.

In a new study, experts found that women who have undergone dilation and curettage who later become pregnant may be at increased risk of giving birth before the baby reaches full term.

They end up with premature babies because of damage to the cervix, the opening at the bottom of the womb that normally stays closed during pregnancy but opens during labour.

In understanding more the risks of D&Cs, the scientists analysed 21 previously published studies that included more than two million women.

They found that compared with women who had never had a D&C, women who had undergone the procedure prior to giving birth were 29 per cent more likely to deliver their babies before the 37th week of pregnancy. Pregnancies are generally considered to reach full term at 37 weeks.

Also, women who had not undergone a D&C had a six per cent chance of having a preterm delivery, compared with 7.6 per cent for those who had undergone the procedure.

In addition, the procedure also increased women’s risk of preterm births, or those occurring before 32 weeks of gestation, by 69 per cent. The risks were higher for women who had multiple D&Cs.

According to the World Health Organisation, about 15 million babies are born before 37 weeks of gestation and complications arising from premature birth kill one million children a year worldwide. This makes it the leading cause of death for children under the age of five.

Professor Dapo Olayemi, a consultant obstetrics and gynecologist, however, linked the increase in possibility of women who have undergone dilation and curettage in their future pregnancies giving birth before the baby reaches full term to cervical incompetency.

He declared: “The weakening of the mouth of the womb of a woman makes her unable to carry a pregnancy to term. As a result of the neck of the mouth of the womb been loose, when pregnancy comes to put pressure on it, it opens up.”

“Also a complication of D&C is the puncture, adhesion or scarring of the walls of the womb.” When the linings of the womb stick together, this usually leads to infertility and may be a reason for the womb repeatedly aborting any implanted baby. These abortions take place early after conception,” he added.

Professor Olayemi, who assured that improvement in the conventional way D&C is done had made it far safer than before, stated that the use of D&C exceeds abortion purposes as many presume.

Sometimes a D&C is medically necessary. If a woman has unusually heavy bleeding as a miscarriage complication, a D&C can even be lifesaving because it stops the bleeding at the source.

In other cases, a D&C might be used if the doctor feels the miscarriage is unlikely to complete without intervention. In other cases, some women request a D&C because they prefer to get over the miscarriage rather than waiting for it to begin naturally.

A D&C may also make it easier to collect a usable tissue sample for couples who want to pursue chromosomal test on the baby.

D&C is one of the most common surgical procedures performed for abortion and miscarriage. During the 15-minute procedure, doctors dilate, or open, the cervix, then scrape the wall of the womb using either an implement called a curette or a vacuum suction tube.

Professor Olayemi, however, declared that many things aside miscarriage and abortion can predispose a woman to premature births, including infections, genetic problems and birth defects.

Common causes of preterm birth include multiple pregnancies, infections, bleeding in pregnancy, and chronic conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure; however, often no cause is identified. There is also a genetic influence.

Also, women with certain abnormalities of the reproductive organs are at greater risk for preterm labour and birth than are women who do not have these abnormalities.

 More than 60 per cent of preterm births occur in Africa and South Asia, but preterm birth is truly a global problem. In the lower-income countries, on average, 12 per cent of babies are born too early compared with nine per cent in higher-income countries. Within countries, poorer families are at higher risk. Babies born prematurely have reduced chances of survival and even when they survive, they are forced to contend with life-long ailments and conditions.

SOURCE: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Pregnant and malnourished? Your baby risks ill health

 

Pregnancy is a trauma to the body; or so physicians want us to know and, I dare say, they know better.

Indeed, when you remember that pregnancy takes a whopping nine months to mature into the delivery of a healthy baby if everything goes well, you will appreciate the physical and psychological changes that attend it, as well as their implications on the health of the expectant mother.

Head of Nutrition at the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Chris Isokpunwu, says pregnancy leads to increased oxygen consumption due to the rising metabolic needs of the mother and the developing baby.

He notes that the growth of the size of the uterus, alongside the increase of the progesterone levels, leads to increment of the respiratory rate, resulting in lower level of carbon dioxide in the blood, or what is medically known as hypocapnia – a state of reduced carbon dioxide in the blood that can lead to brain injury.

“When this condition is in a mild stage, the pregnant woman can experience constipation, nasal blockage, constant coughing, etc. She may also have visual disturbances, anxiety, transient dizziness, muscle cramps, blackouts, shortness of breath and vomiting,” experts warn.

Consultant Paediatrician at the Calabar General Hospital in Cross River State, Dr. Friday Odey, warns that the health of the unborn baby and his very life hang on the mother’s wellbeing; hence, whatever affects the expectant mother is very likely to affect her unborn baby.

Indeed, the United Nations Children’s Fund laments that the diets of women often lack nutrients, which endanger womanhood; and that when dietary deficiency extends to pregnancy period, it could lead to irreversible damage on both the mother and her baby.

“And that is why pregnant women are counselled to eat well and to also observe other healthy habits while the condition lasts,” Isokpunwu enthuses.

At the UNICEF workshop warning the nation on the effects of malnutrition on children and the need for pregnant women to imbibe good dietary and other habits that will ensure mother-child wellbeing, experts agree that the effects of nutritional deficiency in pregnant women have been identified as the major causes of unsafe pregnancy and maternal mortality in Nigeria.

Gynaecologists say good management of a pregnancy will improve the foetal status too, noting that it is one of the reasons why pregnancy care is two-pronged: caring for mother and her unborn baby at the same time.

Isokpunwu says no matter the level of care available to a pregnancy woman, nothing will work positively if the expectant mother does not eat balanced diet.

He counsels, “Healthy diet is an important part of a healthy lifestyle at any time, but it is especially vital if you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Eating healthily during pregnancy will help your baby to develop and grow, and will keep you fit and well.”

Nutritionists add that while a pregnant woman doesn’t necessarily have to go on a special diet, it’s important to eat a variety of different foods every day in order to get the right balance of nutrients that you and your baby need.

Experts recommend eating fruit and vegetables; as well as foods that contain carbohydrates, protein, dairy (eggs, cheese and yoghurt); and moderate quantities of foods that contain sugar and fat such as butter, oils, salad dressings, chocolate, biscuits, pastries, etc.

Nutritionists say fruit and vegetables provide vitamins and minerals; as well as fibre, which helps digestion and prevents constipation. They add that starchy foods such as bread, potatoes, breakfast cereals, rice, pasta, noodles, maize, millet, oats, sweet potatoes, yams, etc., are important sources of vitamins and fibre, and are satisfying without containing too many calories.

Protein-rich foods such as meat (avoid liver), fish, poultry, eggs, beans, pulses and nuts are also recommended.

However, physicians say though it is best to get vitamins and minerals from the foods you eat, when you’re pregnant, you need to take some supplements as well to make sure you get everything you need.

They note that the main reason for this is because no matter how much we try, cooking, storage and the way we handle foods generally are capable of destroying some of the nutritional elements derivable from them.

This is supported by experts at the United States Department of Agriculture, who note that during pregnancy, the mother’s needs for several vitamins and minerals increase.

“You need enough for your growing baby’s needs as well as your own needs. This makes it difficult to get all that you need from food. This is especially true for folic acid and iron: During pregnancy, mothers need to consume enough nutrients to meet their increased needs as well as those of their growing baby,” Isokpunwu submits.

Again, the authorities at the United Kingdom-based National Health Service agree that while it is best to get vitamins and minerals from the food you eat, when pregnant, you will need to take some supplements as well to make sure you get everything you need.

A Professor of Pharmacognosy, Maurice Iwu, notes that naturally-prepared food supplements, otherwise called nutraceuticals, contain ingredients that promote health and wellness, maintain weight and fight diseases.

Iwu says nutraceuticals contain food products such as zinc, magnesium, iodine, copper, iron, calcium, folic acid, vitamins B12 and B6, anti-oxidants, vitamin K and selenium.

Experts say a dietary supplement that contains all these nutritional elements in balanced proportion will help in nurturing both mother and child during pregnancy; and, after delivery, during the breastfeeding period.

SOURCE:PUNCH