Cord Blood Awareness Month is sponsored by a society of the American Hospital Association and strives to empower expectant parents to make an informed choice regarding their options to save their newborn's cord blood stem cells.
Each year more than 35,000 Americans with life threatening illnesses find themselves in need of a stem cell transplant. Cord blood stem cells have been playing an increasing role in filling that need and have been offering potential treatment options for many conditions that have no cure today. Cord blood has been used in more than 14,000 transplants worldwide during the last 20 years to treat many life-threatening diseases, such as leukemia and other cancers. Today, cord blood is showing great promise for use in regenerative medicine applications, including treatment for juvenile diabetes, brain injury, cerebral palsy, and hearing loss.
It is important for expectant parents to be aware of the potential value of cord blood stem cells and their options for saving it. Cord blood can only be collected immediately following birth, so parents should understand their choices and make a decision before their due date.
Family Banking: Parents have guaranteed access to a child's genetically-unique stem cells for future use within the family, including the child, siblings, parents or extended family members.
Free Program for Acute Family Need: CBR's Designated Treatment Program® provides free processing and storage to qualifying families with a member suffering from a disease treatable with cord blood stem cells.
Public Donation: If eligible, expectant parents can donate cord blood stem cells for public use or research.
Medical Waste: The cord blood stem cells are discarded after delivery at the hospital.
