Save Cord Blood at Legacy Emmanuel in Portland, or
The stem-cell laden blood from the placenta and umbilical cord — the ‘leftovers’ of giving birth — are being used to treat diseases from leukemia to diabetes in babies, giving them lives they might never have had. Despite this amazing phenomenon, public cord-blood banks are getting few donations. In some cases, a lack of awareness, equipment, or understanding is the issue.
In many cases, however, families want to save cord blood for their own use. The thought that your child might someday need those precious stem cells to save her life is profoundly impacting, but private cord-blood banks have some issues all their own.
Privately saving your children’s cord blood isn’t actually directly useful to that child in most circumstances. If your child has leukemia at a very young age, the chances are good that the disease existed in her blood before birth, and the saved cord blood isn’t going to help her. Also, once the child grows older (over 100 lbs), there just isn’t enough blood saved to make a meaningful transplant. Either way, you’re going to end up looking outside of your own saved sample for the right blood.
According to the National Marrow Donor Program, the success rate of getting a perfect match for a transfusion from a private bank is only 25%, whereas the public banks it’s much higher — over 75%. What’s more, storing cord blood in a public bank is free, whereas private banks commonly charge $2000 up front plus $100 per year. If you’re worried that someone else will get the blood you stored for your family, keep two things in mind: one, only five percent of stored cord blood is ever used, and two, the blood you donated probably isn’t the right blood to match your need.
If you have the good fortune to be giving birth at Legacy Emmanuel Hospital in Portland, OR, you can save cord blood for yourself or others on the west coast to use. The American Red Cross Western Area Community Blood Bank is located at Legacy Emmanuel, and it serves the entire West Coast. Donations of cord blood are also accepted at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital, also in Portland, OR. You know what they say — the life you save may be your own!
