July is Cord Blood Awareness month and the goal is to educate expectant parents and others about the value of cord blood stem cells.  

Why Bank?

The umbilical cord that joins mother and child could also connect you or your family to the medicine of the future. Today newborn stem cells from the umbilical cord blood hold medical value, having been used successfully for more than 20 years in transplant medicine to treat blood and immune disorders such as leukemia, lymphoma and sickle cell anemia. Medical research continues to investigate ground-breaking therapies using a child’s own cord blood stem cells as a possible treatment for diseases which currently have no cures like Type I diabetes, traumatic brain injury, and cerebral palsy. For more information on the FDA-regulated trials that started since last July visit the National Institutes of Health or view what doctors think about banking cord blood stem cells .

Keep it or Donate it, Just Don’t Throw it Away

To help educate expectant parents about their cord blood options, CBR created the Cord Blood Education Center, an online program that provides interested parties the basics of cord blood banking.  There are three options for the baby’s cord blood

Option 1: Family Banking

Cord blood is collected and stored, for a fee, for exclusive use by baby and family should a need arise in the future.

Option 2: Public Donation    
Cord blood is donated anonymously for potential use by a patient in need. It is not reserved for your family.   

Option 3: Cord Blood Disposal    
More than 90% of the time, cord blood is disposed as medical waste.  

Perhaps with the onset of Cord Blood Awareness month, we can begin to reverse the trend of throwing this important medical resource in the trash.  So this July, whether you are on the road, poolside, camping or enjoying a barbeque with friends and family, share what you about cord blood with every growing family.