Banking umbilical cord blood can save lives
When a baby is born, the parents have a unique opportunity: they can “bank” the umbilical cord blood to use to defend against potentially lifethreatening disease. According to Dr. Charles A. Sims, thousands of parents are doing just that.

They arrange with their doctor to save the baby’s umbilical cord blood (which is usually discarded).

The process poses no risk for mother or child and is painless and quick. And with thousands of patients having been successfully treated with cord blood stem cells, parents can feel comfort in knowing that, if needed, a potential treatment will be available for their family for more than 50 serious illnesses, including certain immune disorders and certain cancers including leukemia, lymphomas, neuroblastoma and malignant and nonmalignant diseases.

The cord blood is a rich source of stem cells that, like donated bone marrow, can be used to treat various genetic disorders that affect the blood and immune system. Unlike donated bone marrow, however:•A child’s own cord blood is always a perfect match.•The child’s siblings have a strong chance of matching.•Stored cord blood is available whenever it’s needed.•Chances of rejection are far lower with cord blood than with bone marrow transplants.•Collecting cord blood is safe, painless, simple, quick and done immediately after birth.•Cord blood stem cells can reconstitute bone marrow and immune systems and treat numerous other diseases.

Once the cord blood is collected, it’s sent by courier to a cord blood bank such as Family Cord Blood Services, where it’s processed and stored for the family’s future use.

“Thanks to scientific advances, cord blood banking gives a family the security of knowing they have the potential of saving their loved ones, if the need arises,” said Sims.

Family Cord Blood Services is a division of California Cryobank.

The company has a state of the art facility in Santa Monica.

For more information call (800) 400-3430 or visit the website at www.familycordbloodservices.com.

This story provided by North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.