Swimming pools are a well-recognized symbol of summertime fun.  But they also can be a life-threatening hazard for children.

Drowning is the second leading cause of injury-related death of children under 14 and the leading cause of death for children under four [1, 2].  Nearly as tragic are the statistics for children who survive a near drowning.  At least one third of near-drowning survivors sustain moderate to severe neurologic damage [3].

According to an interview of Tonya Morris on Keeping It Together, that was the case for her daughter, a little girl named Sparrow Morris, who fell into the family’s backyard pool trying to fill a watering can when she was just shy of two-years-old. Tonya estimates that Sparrow was down for about 45 minutes after being pulled from the water until rescue workers were able to revive her after administering CPR.  Because of severe oxygen deprivation which resulted in damaged tissue in her brain, doctors did not expect her to live, let alone recover near age-appropriate mental and physical capabilities.

Her mother reports that today Sparrow is a thriving four-year-old who does everything from jumping on the trampoline to attending mainstream preschool.  Her journey to recovery has involved physical therapy and tutoring as well as an experimental treatment one year after her near drowning:  an infusion of her own cord blood stem cells.

According to Tonya, “We saw the value in cord blood and realized someday our child might be able to use it when the research is there.”  Tonya never expected to use it so soon in Sparrow’s life.

Sparrow, whose cord blood was banked with CBR, was able to participate in a program evaluating the use of cord blood to help heal the brain after an injury, such as one caused by lack of oxygen.  The study is in the initial stages, and it is not yet known whether cord blood stem cells can be used to effectively treat brain injury.

Tonya shares her full story during a segment of Keeping it Together, an on-line radio show hosted by safety expert Alison Rhodes, also known as The Safety Mom.  As part of the same segment, Alison interviews Dr. Marra Francis, an ob-gyn from Texas who believes in educating every mother about the significance of cord blood stem cells and the options for preserving them.  

“I tell every one of my new patients that [babies do] not know if they are wearing a ‘onesie’ from Wal-Mart or if they’re in a designer one.  They’ll throw up on both of them just the same,” said Dr. Francis.  “I also tell them that the two things  they will purchase that could potentially save their babies lives are a good car seat and cord blood banking.”

 The Safety Mom’s interview with Tonya Morris and Dr. Marra Francis can be heard here.

References:
[1] National SAFE KIDS Campaign. Drowning fact sheet. 2004, National SAFE KIDS Campaign: Washington, DC.
[2] National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based injury statistics query and reporting system (WISQARS). 2005. http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars. Accessed on August 31, 2005.
[3] http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/908677-overview  Author: Michael J Verive, MD, Director, Pediatric Intensive Care, Department of Pediatric Critical Care, Mount Sinai Hospital; Program Director, Pediatric Intensive Care, Hope Children's Hospital