Save a life With Cord Blood

Yes, that’s true. You can save a life including one of your children’s by one simple but wise step. How many of us have ever thought that when a baby is born, nature also bestows another precious gift in the form of cord blood that contains life itself for your baby and for someone else?  There might be lack of awareness on this subject, but this discovery has definitely stormed the medical world.

Umbilical cord is an important part of the entire birth process. It is the cord through which the baby is bound to the mother inside the womb. It is the cord that lets the baby survive as it supplies essential nutrients, and blood to the baby. However, after the child’s birth, this same cord is clamped and cut, and is usually discarded. This seemingly piece of waste has a great importance for the medical science. This is because it is the only other source of stem cells, apart from the bone marrow. Stem cells as many of us know are important because they produce blood cells inside a body. Stem cell transplant is sometimes the only source of treatment, for many people suffering from degenerative diseases. 

On top of the list of these diseases are various forms of deadly cancers. Individuals suffering from such cancers, get their good cells damaged because of severe medical treatments like radiation and chemotherapy. Now stem cell transplant is the only treatment for saving their lives. So, you can definitely save a life preserving the umbilical cord blood.

Basically it is a non-surgical and safe procedure, performed right after a child is born when the blood from the placenta and the detached umbilical cord is collected in a specialized bag, and is then preserved at specialized facilities. It offers no risk to the baby or the mother. It is always available for the baby if he ever gets a cancerous disease requiring stem cell transplant. It would be, in fact the perfect match for the baby. Not only that, but it also has a high chance of matching with the siblings, if they are unfortunate to get such a disease. You can also save someone else’s life, if you donate it to a person, who is suffering from a degenerative disease. And imagine it is something that is usually discarded, which can save a life in the longer run.