He “retired” from the fundraising business in 2018. “It’s a sad day for me,” he told Australia’s The Sydney Morning Herald as he donated blood for the last time.
“Golden Blood”
Rare blood type. James’ blood type is scientifically called Rh null (Rhesus zero) and is also known as “golden blood” due to its extreme rarity. According to an article published in the National Library of Medicine, the frequency of the blood type is about 1 in 6 million people.
No antigens. It is characterized by the complete or almost complete absence of antigens of the Rh system (Rh factor) on the surface of red blood cells. Red blood cells are cells whose surface is covered with proteins called antigens, and the presence or absence of specific antigens determines the blood type: type A blood has only type A antigens, type B blood only B, type AB both and Type Type O neither of A nor B.
After all, is it good or bad? Rhnull blood does not pose any health problems in itself, but it can cause challenges if a person requires blood transfusions because it is only compatible with Rhnull blood itself. Therefore, finding a donor for a transfusion can be extremely difficult.
Discovered in the 1960s. According to researcher Penny Bailey’s statement to Mosaic, a biomedical research website, this blood type was first detected in an Australian woman in 1961.