Cord Blood: You Are Your Own Best Donor
When it comes to finding a donor for any medical issue, there
are a number of problems and concerns. In most instances,
individuals cannot find a proper match for their specific needs,
leaving them unable to have a transplant. This is especially
true with adoptive children who may not have biological siblings
or other family members to check for matches, children without
siblings or family members, and individuals of certain races or
ethnicities that may not have access to other individuals of
their race or ethnicity in their area. Even after a match is
found, it is not guaranteed that the transplant will be a
success, since the human body is conditioned to repel anything
it deems "foreign," even if the item will potentially save your
life. Instead of having to worry about these concerns, imagine
serving as your own donor, ensuring a perfect match every time
and greatly diminishing the worry about rejection. For these
many reasons, you may wish to bank cord blood.
According to the informative Web site Should You Bank Cord
Blood, cord blood is the blood that is found within the
umbilical cord at birth. The umbilical cord serves as a lifeline
between mother and child, allowing nutrients to pass to the
child in the womb. Umbilical cord blood is rich in stem cells,
which have the potential to treat and cure a host of diseases,
from cancer to Parkinson's. The unique healing aspects of stem
cells revolve around the fact that these cells have yet to be
given a specific role to play in the human body. These
indeterminate cells have the ability to become any type of cell
that the body decides it needs, whether it will become a blood
cell, bone cell, muscle cell, or any other cell imaginable, stem
cells can transform into any cell most needed.
The reason why stem cells from cord blood work so well in
transplants is because they take on the responsibility of the
non-working cells they attempt to replace. For instance, in
people suffering from leukemia, their body is no longer
producing the appropriate number of white blood cells in their
bone marrow. Before cord blood, leukemia patients must wait to
find a bone marrow match and then undergo and transplant that
may or may not work. Instead, the match is guaranteed, since the
blood comes directly from your body, and the stem cells quickly
translate into cells that will become properly working bone
marrow to ensure production of white blood cells to fight the
disease. Since stem cells can become any type of cells the body
needs most, cord blood is used to treat and potentially cure
numerous diseases and disorders, including sickle cell anemia
and many forms of cancer, especially those affecting infants and
children.
Since no donor is required, you do not have to suffer through
the waiting period of seeing if a matching cord blood donor will
be found. Treatment can begin immediately, allowing you a better
chance for a complete recovery since the disease or disorder
will not have taken a great hold on your body. Additionally, you
can serve as a cord blood donor to your sick sibling using cord
blood that is far more effective than anything else you can give
to a brother or sister. Many parents choose to bank cord blood
in order to treat another child who is experiencing
problems--especially children battling childhood cancer. Since
siblings are the best chance for a proper match for any type of
transplant, cord blood works in many instances to save the life
of an ill brother or sister.