If you have made the decision to donate your cord blood, the next step is to find a reputable cord blood bank. It is important that you find a cord blood bank that has been in business for many years and is financially stable. You should also check their experience in collecting and processing cord blood. Geographical location should be a huge factor in your decision making process also. You want to make sure that the cord blood bank is located in a place that is not likely to be affected by floods, earthquakes, hurricanes or other natural disasters.
So where do you find a cord blood bank with all of these attributes? Keep reading to find the answer to this question.
Cord Blood Registry is the largest family cord blood stem cell bank in the world. They are accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks. This means that they are held to the highest standards possible. They currently house cord blood stem cells for more than 180,000 newborns worldwide.
Cord Blood Registry has its own state of the art processing and cord blood preservation operation. The cord blood is safely stored in a facility in Tuscan, Arizona . This area has a history of being free of natural disasters. This will help ensure the safety of your cord blood. Their storage vaults were custom built to feature the most stable cryogenic temperature control. It is also designed to reduce cross contamination and to allow the cord blood stem cells to stay safe for many years. You can rest assured that the cord blood you donate will be safe and ready to use if you should ever need it.
Another positive about Cord Blood Registry is that it has demonstrated long term financial stability. This is critical to protect your investment and your cord blood. Cord blood registry has been operating at a profit since 1999. They keep costs down by not engaging in risky research investments that may compromise financial security. You can also rest easy knowing that Cord Blood Registry is affiliated with the University of Arizona . This well respected institution has been around for more than 100 years.
You should check out the information on the Cord Blood Registry website. Since this is a private cord blood bank, there are costs associated with cord blood storage here. However, you may be eligible for a Cord Blood Registry discount. You may also be able to find a Cord Blood Registry coupon in a magazine or other advertisement.
Cord Blood Registry has released more than fifty five family banked cord blood samples to be used in life saving transplants. The Cord Blood Registry web site contains many real stories from real people who have been helped by cord blood transplants. In some cases, the cord blood transplants have completely cured a sibling's leukemia or other life threatening disease.
The exciting thing about cord blood stem cell research is that scientists are discovering new uses for cord blood stem cells every day. They have had a lot of success in triggering umbilical cord blood stem cells to mimic existing damaged cells. This results in the growth of new, healthy, cells to repair the damaged ones. One can only imagine what lies ahead in the years to come as more research is conducted.
One of the problems with cord blood stem cells is that there are not many stem cells contained in one unit of cord blood. Sometimes, it requires more stem cells for treatment than the cord blood sample contains. But scientists are making progress with this problem. They are beginning to develop methods of expanding the cord blood cells so that it will take less stem cells for a treatment. This will make it possible to gain more treatments from a single umbilical cord blood donation. You can bet that once this is perfected, cord blood registries will put this method into play right away.
So if you have made the decision for umbilical cord blood banking, congratulations. You may also want to educate your friends and family members who are expecting. There are many wonderful things that can be accomplished with cord blood stem cells. If the cord blood is not donated it will be discarded as waste. For those suffering from disease, this is like throwing a chance of a normal life in the garbage.
Talk to your doctor or midwife about your decision to donate your cord blood. Ask for their opinion on Cord Blood Registry. Then call or visit the Cord Blood Registry website to get more information on banking your cord blood. Who knows, the life you save may be your own.
