Cord Blood Donation

This is something that Danny and I have decided to do. If you are pregnant or considering another baby, maybe you could consider it too! Save a life.

Umbilical cord blood donation can save critically-ill patients suffering from leukemia, lymphoma, and more than 70 other diseases. But keep in mind: cord blood donation requires simple, advanced preparation, and the obstetrician must act immediately after the umbilical cord is clamped and cut. Fortunately, the donated blood is withdrawn from the umbilical cord after it is detached, so there is no discomfort for the mother or baby. Yet, most delivery room doctors discard life-saving cord blood as medical waste, even though cord blood donation is desperately needed by tens of thousands of people who have life-threatening illnesses.

Here's the point: the blood in an umbilical cord consists of stem cells that can "transform" into various types of healthy cell tissue. That tissue may be a treatment for many serious illnesses, including leukemia and other cancers, sickle cell disease, brain tumors, and osteoporosis. In the future, stem cells from donated cord blood may also be used to treat Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and diabetes. Although some ill patients "match" with a family member who can donate stem cells that are suitable for their treatment, nearly 75 percent of patients are not so fortunate. Cord blood donations can give these critically-ill patients a much better chance of finding stem cells that match their tissue type.

Unlike the ethical issues that surround embryonic stem cell research, stem cells from live-birth cord blood are collected from an umbilical cord that would otherwise be thrown away, so there are no moral barriers.

For more information on donating http://www.charityguide.org/volunteer/fewhours/cord-blood-donation.htm