A cord blood donation can provide healthy blood stem cells for treatments of some cancers, blood diseases, and inherited disorders such as sickle cell anemia. Using cord blood is a safer and an easier alternative to a bone marrow transplant, as well as sometimes the last option for someone who could not find a match within their own family.
Research has shown there is a large quantity of blood stem cells located in the small amount of blood within the umbilical cord. Generally, after a baby’s birth the umbilical cord is discarded, but this research has discovered grand benefits of the cord blood. By simply contacting a cord blood bank by the 34th week of pregnancy and signing a consent form, your baby’s cord blood could be the saving grace for someone who would otherwise be lost — at no cost or risk to you or your baby.
The process of a donation is simple and safe. After your baby is delivered and the umbilical cord is cut, the blood is drained and sent to a cord blood bank to be analyzed and, if all requirements are met, either used for stem cell research or stored until a matched patient is found. There is never any contact between the donor and the receiver, and all of your information concerning the donation is classified and kept at the cord blood bank.
Donating cord blood is highly appreciated and honored. A donation made by a non-Caucasian is especially valued. Stem cell transplants generally need to be matched within the same ethnic group, and there is a much larger lack of donations for minorities. According to studies as of July 2003, a Caucasian patient has an 88 percent chance of finding a match to a donation on the National Marrow Donation Program (NMDP) registry, as opposed to an African American patient’s chance of 58 percent.
To find a participating blood bank or hospital that would accept your cord blood, contact the NMDP. They have lists of hospitals or associated cord blood banks that will receive your donation. As stated earlier, if you are interested in donating cord blood, you should consult a blood bank or hospital by the 34th week of your pregnancy. This gives the facility ample time to work with you and prepare for your donations arrival.
It is difficult to find a participating blood bank or hospital that will accept your cord blood donation because the process is still very expensive and is paid for by the facility. As more research is done and the benefits of a cord blood become more publicly known, hopefully the number of cord blood banks will increase, as well as the number of lives saved by stem cell transplants. Be an advocator for cord blood donating and stem cell research awareness, and maybe the cure for cancer and other diseases will no longer be a dream of the future but a reality of today.
By Monica Drusch