1. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help protect your
baby’s long-term health.
Your baby’s umbilical cord blood is a
rich source of special blood cells called stem cells. These cells—genetically
unique to each baby—are the body's building blocks for blood, organs, tissue, and
the immune system.
A growing number of families are choosing to bank their babies' umbilical
cord blood as a potential cure for dozens of cancers, blood disorders, immune
and genetic diseases.
There are many decisions in life you can put off. This isn’t one of them. Cord
blood can only be collected in the first few minutes after birth. So you must
make this decision during pregnancy.
When you bank your baby’s cord blood, you preserve a unique biological
resource that is like a 'self-repair kit' for your child, and possibly your
entire family.
2. Cord blood stem cells hold the power to
cure.
Today, stem cells are used in disease treatment to fight and even cure many
forms of cancer, like leukemia, autoimmune diseases, like lupus, and inheritable
diseases, like sickle cell anemia.
Stem cell research is yielding new applications every day. Stem cells may
prove effective in the future treatment of spinal cord injuries, stroke,
Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, diabetes, and HIV, among others.
Cord blood provides a source of stem cells for use in many situations where
bone marrow is considered today. Doctors have increasingly turned to cord blood
stem cells as a life-saving alternative to bone marrow transplants. There is a
lower probability of graft vs. host disease (GVHD) and a greater likelihood of
finding an appropriate tissue type match.
3. Cord blood stem
cells are genetically unique.
Your baby’s cord blood cells are a perfect match for your baby, should your
child ever need a stem cell transplant. In technical terms, it is a perfect 6
out of 6 HLA tissue type match, ideal for transplantation. And your baby’s stem
cells have a 25%-30% probability of being a perfect match for siblings. There’s
also a small chance they could be used for parents.
4. Bank on
the future of stem cell research.
With successful transplants and breakthroughs in stem cell
research occurring every day, more and more expectant parents have chosen
to bank their newborn’s cord blood.
And as stem cell research may produce new treatments for both injuries, like
spinal cord injuries, and even more widespread diseases, like stroke, heart
disease and HIV, it’s even more important to save your baby’s cord blood.
Family cord blood banking enables you to store your baby’s stem cells for a
guaranteed perfect match. And since stem cells have been safely frozen and
stored for more than fifteen years, and most probably will remain alive for
many more years, family cord blood banking is both a safeguard against diseases
treatable today, and a real hope for more treatment possibilities
tomorrow.
5. Your family history matters.
If your family has a history of diseases that may be treatable by a stem cell
transplant, the likelihood that your baby or his or her siblings could need cord
blood increases. No one knows just how many diseases or injuries will be
treatable in the future with stem cells from cord blood. Many view cord blood
banking as a form of health insurance.
Saving cord blood may be even more important for minority families. See
why.
