it comes from here
Any new parent would do everything in their power to increase the chances of their children having long and healthy lives. One of the easiest and most effective ways to do this is by banking cord blood. But surprisingly few parents are aware of the benefits of cord blood banking. We’re aim to fix that.
What is cord blood banking?
Cord blood is blood found in a newborn’s umbilical cord. This blood is different from all other types of blood as it can be used to treat various serious diseases. A cord blood bank is a special facility that draws and stores cord blood. There are dozens of facilities, both private and public, banking cord blood around the world.
Private cord blood banks are facilities where parents store their baby’s cord blood in order to use it in future if a need arises. Parents are required to pay for the storage facilities. Private cord blood banks are not as common as public cord blood banks.
Public cord blood banks allow donations from anyone and are therefore accessible to everyone. Since it is heavily regulated, both the donor and the patient are required to contact the cord blood bank long in advance of the time of their need.
Why bank cord blood?
Newborn umbilical cord blood has been found to contain special stem cells and progenitor cells that can be used to generate cells found in the blood i.e. red and white blood cells and platelets. This means that if a person has a disease that attacks these cells, cord blood can be used to generate more of it and therefore save a life. Banking cord blood will help treat some of the following medical conditions.
Leukemia
This is a life threatening disease that will cause you not to think twice about banking cord blood. If your child develops Leukemia, you will be able to get the compromised blood cells regenerated. This will allow your baby to enjoy a longer life without having to experience the painful side effects of this disease.
There are many other cancers that can be treated using cord blood such as Myelodysplastic Syndrome, Hodgkin & Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and many other kinds of tumors.
This alone is a sufficient answer to “why bank cord blood?”
Sickle cell anemia
This is a genetic condition where a person’s red blood cells develop a characteristic sickle shape instead of the normal biconcave shape. This is another life threatening disease that reveals another good thing about cord blood banking. Healthy red blood cells will be regenerated if your baby has such a condition.
Other diseases that are treated with cord blood include Fanconi Anemia, Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency, and Metachromatic Leukodystrophy etc.
Cord blood research is still in its infancy. It is the hope of researchers, cord blood bankers, and the sufferers of some of the diseases mentioned above, that in the coming years many previously terminal illnesses will be treatable. This is why banking cord blood is so important.