Cord blood is the blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta after childbirth. It contains stem cells that can differentiate into many types of cells in the body. Umbilical cord blood stem cells hold significant potential in treating life threatening diseases and conditions, including cancer. They are able to regenerate immune system and replace damaged or diseased cells. In early 2006, Dr. Felipe-Andres Ramirez-Weber was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of blood and bone marrow cancer, acute myelogenous leukemia. A bone marrow transplant was his only cure for this disease. But there were no matches from his family members or other donors (given his Latino ethnicity) and his fate was looking grim. He decided to take part in a clinical trial with Delta-expanded stem cells at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and became the first patient to undergo expanded cord blood stem cell transplant in the world. He was given two units of cord blood but the stem cells in one of the units were dramatically increased from 200,000 to 13 million per kilogram of body weight. Ramirez-Weber was engrafted in half the time of a bone marrow transplant. He is recovering well and has been healthy since the transplant. He would not have been cured at a sooner time if not for the cord blood donated by someone else. In another case, a twin boy was born with severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID), a rare and fatal disorder. Mason Williams' own body did not produce enough white blood cells to fight off even the smallest infection. Exposure to any germs could literally kill him. Both he and his twin brother, Peyton Williams were confined to their home which had to be completely sanitized at all times. Children with this particular disease rarely live to get to kindergarten. Although Peyton was healthy, he also had to be confined as he could not risk bringing home the germs from playing with other kids. Mason was fortunate when a national search at Duke University hospital found a match for his stem cell transplant. A mother had donated her baby's umbilical cord blood at birth. In the beginning of 2002, stem cells extracted from the umbilical cord blood were transplanted into Mason. After much trepidation and a one year waiting period, the cord blood stem cell transplant was confirmed a success and Mason recovered fully from SCID. The stem cells created an entirely new immune system, thus enabling the boy to live normally. These two cases are some examples of the life-saving potentials of umbilical cord blood stem cells. If you choose to donate your baby's cord blood, it can give someone else a chance at life that they may not have had otherwise. The decision is yours, and an important one. Be sure to think about the potential good this act can do for others.
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