Did you know that over 50% of Australians diagnosed with a blood cancer and other life-threatening blood disorders orders each year, do not have a histo-compatible related or unrelated bone marrow and/or blood stem cell donor to treat their illness? It's scary stuff; my family has been touched by a life-threatening blood disorder, and while they are now cured, I shudder to think of this stat.
Finding a compatible donor can take valuable time and may even be unsuccessful, which is heartbreaking to think about.
The storing of your child’s umbilical cord blood at birth has often been talked about as a procedure that could potentially save a child’s life.
Here's how it works: a child’s umbilical cord blood is an invaluable resource as it contains their own stem cells – a perfect match. These stem cells are the building blocks of your baby’s blood and immune system, currently used worldwide to treat many life threatening diseases including immune system deficiencies, blood disorders and some cancers.
Graeme Moore, Cyrosite Director says, “Many parents see the storage of their baby’s umbilical cord blood as a worthwhile investment. The knowledge that your child’s stem cells are stored and readily available makes their decision to store their baby’s cord blood a highly satisfying one.”
Channel Nine’s Shelley Craft, who uses the service, also comments, “As a new parent all you want is to provide the best possible life and care for your child. I believe this starts with the collection and storage of the vital cord blood at the time of birth.”
Cryosite is the industry leader in umbilical cord blood banking, and was Australia’s first private cord blood bank and has safely stored thousands of children’s cord blood stem cells.
“Cryosite provided me with a wealth of information on the subject, helping me to make an educated and informed decision on cord blood collection. The pack was delivered to my home and all I had to do was take it to the hospital with me at the time of delivery. Our doctor did the rest and the package was collected from the hospital within hours of me giving birth to my beautiful baby girl. I pray that she will never need to call on it, but I now know that should my child ever need this invaluable cord stem cell information in the future, it is readily available and I have given her the best possible start to fighting cancer,” says Craft.
Unlike other companies, Cryosite has its own highly secure laboratories, dedicated to processing, cryopreserving and storing cord blood stem cells. Cryosite’s comprehensive service includes processing and storage onsite where there is multiple levels of backup in place to safeguard the integrity of cord blood.
For more info, see: http://www.cryosite.com.au/
(Photo courtesy Channel Nine).
