A growing number of ingenious gift givers have discovered a special kind of present for new babies and their families.
It’s a contribution to help them collect and store the newborn stem cells in their baby’s umbilical cord blood. Banked cord blood provides a unique opportunity to protect that child or another family member’s future health. It’s one of the most valuable gifts anyone can give.
Doctors use the newborn stem cells in cord blood to treat over 75 serious illnesses, such as leukemia, sickle-cell anemia, and other serious blood and immune disorders. As medical research evolves, so will stem cell therapies, with new treatments expected for heart disease, diabetes, brain damage, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other age-related conditions, offering families more and more uses for banked cord blood.
Currently, scientists believe, stem cells similar to those found in cord blood can develop into replacement cells for damaged organs. Clinical trials recently revealed that stem cells can heal heart tissue damaged after a heart attack or repair damaged areas of the liver. Unlocking that amazing potential could generate new therapies for...