Vital Signs with Dr. Sanjay Gupta: May 20

CNN medical series Vital Signs with Dr. Sanjay Gupta this week features a NSW man whose rare blood type who has been saving lives for 60 years, through donation.

Blood donor James Harrison may seem like an average man – he loves his daughter and grandchildren, collects stamps, and goes for long walks near his home on the New South Wales Central Coast. But it’s what’s under the surface that makes him extraordinary. He’s been nicknamed “the man with the golden arm” for the life-saving blood he’s donated nearly every week for the last 60 years.

James is one of only around 50 people in Australia who have a rare type of blood that can be used to make a life-saving vaccine. This vaccine is given to pregnant women whose blood is at risk of attacking their unborn babies. According to the Australian Red Cross Blood Service James and his vaccine are credited with saving the lives of more than 2-million babies.

James says he’s no hero: “It’s humbling, as you get further into it, it becomes more humbling when they say you’ve done this, or you’ve done that, or you’re a hero. No, no, it’s something I can do. It’s one of my talents, probably my only talent, is that I can be a blood donor. There’s not enough people donating blood. An hour of your time can be a lifetime for somebody else.”

‘Vital Signs’ is a 30-minute monthly program on CNN bringing viewers health stories from around the world. It is hosted by CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Wednesday May 20 7:30pm AEST