OT: You Can Save Lives

I debated about posting this on a technical blog and abusing the relationship with my subscribers, but I believe that the benefits outweigh the negatives. Lives are stake, people are suffering, and many of YOU can help. I hope you agree that this post is worth it.

I know many of you have families and several of you are expecting a new addition. I would like to humbly ask you to consider donating the umbilical cord blood to your local Cord Blood Bank.  In Texas, the Texas Cord Blood Blank is in San Antonio. Most states have a Cord Blood Bank (usually in conjunction with a hospital or a regular blood bank). Please see if there’s one in your state.

Many people are capturing the cord blood after birth and storing it for treatment of their own family should any of the problems arise that cord blood can treat. This is great and you should seriously consider doing this. I would also like to suggest you consider donating some or all of it to your local/regional blood bank for those who are more likely (or who already have) these life-threatening conditions. People with horrible diseases like Leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia, and cancer are being treated TODAY and some have had remarkable recoveries due to Cord Blood therapy.

Why am I doing this on my blog? Because so far most hospitals and midwives don’t know that you can save the Cord Blood and bank it and so they don’t think to ask women before or during labor whether they want the blood to be saved.  At this time, you must ASK for it.  If your family is expecting, I strongly encourage you to look into this and decide if the risks are low enough and benefits high enough to help give someone life-saving therapy.

From what I understand, several major insurance carriers are starting to cover the collection procedure as well as the on the recipient side, the transplant procedure because it is a demonstrable and scientifically proven medical success.

Benefits of cord blood:

• There is very little risk to the donor.
  • Since cord blood immune cells are less mature, they are more easily accepted by the patient when used in transplantation. As a result, patients with a less than perfect immune match can now be treated
    • There are fewer immune complications after transplantation.

      • Since cord blood is banked and ready to use, it is immediately available when a patient needs it. </ul> Some of the diseases currently treated with cord blood:

      • Leukemia & other blood cancers

        • Aplastic anemia
          • Lymphoma
            • Deficiencies of the immune system
              • Genetic disorders such as sickle cell anemia </ul>