I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for the Cord Blood Registry. I received promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Benefits of Cord Blood Banking  #MC Sponsored

Here’s an unusual holiday gift to consider this year: give the gift of cord blood banking. The Cord Blood Registry is a pioneer in newborn stem cell collection and cryopreservation and the world’s largest and most experienced family cord blood stem cell company — and CBR believes in the power of cord blood stem cells to improve lives today and their potential to revolutionize treatment for many conditions in the future.

Did you know that cord blood stem cells, found in the umbilical cord, have been used in the treatment of more than 80 conditions? These cord blood stem cells are currently being evaluated in FDA-regulated clinical trials for their potential regenerative ability in common health issues including autism, cerebral palsy, pediatric stroke and traumatic brain injury. However, more than 90% of parents choose to discard their babies’ umbilical cords at birth, because they’re not informed about the benefits of banking or because they don’t realize the value.

Benefits of Cord Blood Banking  #MC Sponsored

There are two main options when it comes to cord blood banking: you can either store the stem cells in a family bank for your family’s exclusive use, or donate to a public bank. Family banking requires a one-time processing fee and annual storage fees, but you can rest assured that your stem cells will be available for your exclusive use at any time. Free family banking is available for families with medical needs; more information is available at www.cordbankingbasics.com. Public stem cell donation allows parents to donate stem cells at no cost to help others in need; there is a chance you might be able to access this donation if you need it, but there’s no guarantee it will be available to you.

We chose to donate the stem cells from both of my boys’ umbilical cords, but if I had decided to put them in a family bank I would definitely have used CBR. The company’s laboratory and storage facility in Tucson, Ariz., is the largest newborn stem cell bank in the world and they’ve invested millions of dollars to help ensure the safety of its clients’ stem cells. This secure facility is strengthened by bullet resistant glass and has a floor load capacity that can hold 800,000 pounds (16x the standard requirements), a back-up liquid nitrogen tank the size of a 747 jet, one of the largest backup generators available, and temperature monitoring every 1.6 seconds. On average, stem cells make it to the facility from the hospital in just 19 hours, thanks to a private medical courier service. So reassuring to have the peace of mind that your stem cells are in good hands!

Benefits of Cord Blood Banking  #MC Sponsored

One of the interesting facts I learned by reading the FAQs is that any family member who is a suitable match can use the stem cells, not just the donor. Siblings are the most likely to be compatible matches, with 25% of these cases offering a perfect match. Other family members are less likely to be a sufficient match, and there is no guarantee that an adequate stem cell match will be found for any given patient, BUT your baby will always be a perfect match to his or her own stem cells.

Click here to see how cord blood stem cells have worked to improve the lives of patients, or read the Cord Blood Registry FAQ sheet to learn more about how the process works and how you can benefit.