Would You Choose Public Cord Blood Banking?

by tedgar | More from this Blogger

21 Oct 2009 01:29 PM

Just before my daughter was born, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that's genetically inherited. Our family has a strong history of this difficult disease, and I was concerned that my daughter would carry the gene too. At the time, my husband and I were debating whether we'd store our daughter's cord blood. The diagnosis of diabetes was the clincher: we decided to spring for private cord blood banking, knowing that researchers were doing studies on umbilical stem cells and treating children with new Type 1 with their own cells, in the hopes of restoring their pancreas to health.

Sometimes I debate whether we should have gone with a public blood bank. Before diabetes, I was a blood donor and on the public bone marrow registry. I'm also a registered organ donor. I am a big advocate of working for the public good and donating my bits and pieces to the cause of medical research.

What are stem cells, anyway? The stem cells contained in umbilical cord blood are multi-purpose, flexible cells. They can turn into red and white blood cells, and medical researchers are investigating to see whether they can be used to treat genetic diseases like Alzheimer's and diabetes. The umbilical cord contains these cells, and parents have the chance to either bank them privately or donate them at birth to a public cord blood bank.

Why would a parent choose a public cord blood bank? Like a blood or bone marrow bank, cord blood banks are for the public good. Families all over the world can access them to treat diseases like leukemia. Private cord blood banking usually involves an initial fee, usually in the thousands of dollars, with annual fees in the hundreds. Families who find that private banks are out of reach may consider public blood banking, so that their baby's cord blood can be used for the good of all. There are 40 public cord blood banks worldwide.

Would you bank your baby's cord blood in a public bank? Why or why not?

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Tricia Edgar is a mom of one lovely daughter. Before her daughter was born, she decided to be guided by the needs of her child, and this led her to attachment parenting philosophies.

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