Stories of Lives Saved by Cord Blood
The advancements of medicine and technology are saving lives
each year that would otherwise be lost to disease or medical
disorder. Each year, more and more children are living through
potentially terminal diseases and battling their way back to
health with help of cord blood. Cord blood is found within the
umbilical cord and preserved upon the birth of the child. Since
the blood contains stem cells, numerous diseases and disorders
are successfully treated and even cured through transplants.
Parents today are choosing to either bank cord blood for future
use or donate their newborn's cord blood so that ill children
can take advantage of this life-saving blood.
An inspiring case is that of siblings Ashley and Kelvin J. of
Maryland. These two children were both born with severe combined
immunodeficiency syndrome that is usually terminal, since the
body's immune system cannot fend off the germs that would
otherwise be harmless to a healthy body. Projected life span for
children diagnosed with severe combined immunodeficiency
syndrome (SCIDS) is approximately six months; however, both
Ashley and Kelvin received a transplant of cord blood from
anonymous donors whose cord blood was donated to public blood
banks.
Another story that shows the success of using cord blood to
treat potentially deadly diseases and disorders is that of
brothers Blayke and Garrett L. of Los Angeles. Born three years
apart, both boys developed a rare disorder known as
lymphoproliferative disease. Blayke and Garrett's immune systems
were unable to successfully fight off germs commonly found in
the world around them. Generally, at a very early age children
diagnosed with lymphoproliferative disease develop
mononucleosis, a potentially fatal disease that individuals with
a working immune system commonly recover from. Again, thanks to
the donation of cord blood from an anonymous donor, both boys
are now living happy and healthy lives due to a blood
transplant. If this option was not available, the young
brothers' only hope would be a painful and complicated bone
marrow transplant that would not have had the same success rate
as the cord blood transplant.
In addition to children using donated cord blood to survive the
odds, more and more children are using their own cord blood to
treat or cure diseases or medical disorders. These diseases are
disorders may be present before birth or be developed after
birth, but regardless the case, cord blood is an excellent tool
in the fight to preserve life. A recent study at Duke University
involved children diagnosed with Krabbe's disease--a rare
genetic disorder that affects the brain and attacks cognitive
and motor functions. Twenty-five children diagnosed with
Krabbe's disease were followed and studied regarding their
treatments. For those children treated with a cord blood
transplant immediately after birth, 100 percent showed positive
development and survival, whereas 43 percent of children treated
with cord blood transplant after development of symptoms saw
success.
These children are testament to the vitality of umbilical cord
blood and should inspire parents to not let this life-saving
blood go to waste. According to the informative Web site Should You Bank Cord
Blood,upon delivery of the child, technicians must work
quickly to ensure they preserve the cord blood before it begins
to clot and becomes useless. Whether you choose to store your
child's cord blood in a private blood bank or donate your
child's cord blood to a public blood bank so that it can
potentially save the life of an Ashley, Kelvin, Blayke, or
Garrett in the country, ensure that your child's cord blood is
used in the best possible manner. More and more, hospitals
around the country are developing a system to ensure that all
cord blood is either stored or donated--but not wasted.