Donating Cord Blood? (m)

I was wondering if anyone has or is planning to donate cord blood. I want to if I can just get my act together ... I have very personal reasons why it is so important. I know there is Cord Blood and I started filling out the form on their website and it seemed it was banking it for myself, which is not what I want to do. So then I went to Life Source and filled out the form to donate it and get the kit. But then I realized they are only sending me one kit and I need two.

I was just wondering if anyone had insight to this. I'm having a c-section on October 8th so I don't have much time to get this set up!

 

Call the 1-800 numbers and they will send you a kit....overnight....make that 2 kits....I think it is wonderful that you want to donate the cord blood....so many don't....and it goes in the incenterator....SO many lives can be saved with the blood from the cords! I wish everyone would consider doing it in the general bank...if they are not storing it for their own family use!


Thank you!!!

Missy

 

It's very dear to my heart to donate it as well, this is the website that works with the National Bone Marrow Foundatioin, http://www.cryo-intl.com/. It's where I'm going thru. It's so very worth it. DS's blood was donated and it was used in successful transplant. They do let you know if that happens.

hugs
Jen

 

I looked into a public cord blood bank, but they wouldn't take blood of multiples ... Can't remember the reason, but it clearly said on their website.

This is what I found on one site:
Q:Can I donate if I'm having twins? A:NMDP Network public banks cannot accept donations if you are having twins. Tissue types are used to match a cord blood unit to a patient, and there could be a possibility of mixing or confusing the tissue types of the two umbilical cords.

 

Also ask your hospital or your doctor's office if your hospital accept direct donations. The hospital I plan on deliver accepts donations and will go through one of the firms to collect the cord blood for you and send it to the general bank.

We are going through CBR for our cord blood, I think with how medical technology keeps changing it is the best thing to do!

 

I tried but there was NO WHERE in my area that would take it!! Crazy!

 

I worked at the NMDP. Public banks will not collect cords from mutiples for a few reasons. 1-size of the cord. the amount of stem cells in a cord of mulitple, as well as singletons delivered prior to 36weeks, tends to be smaller and not enough for a transplant. 2-possible mix up but that is very rare and 3- Stem cells from cords are a great option for a transplant because the cells have not been exposed to many antigen/antibodies and the transplant patient will less likely to develpe major side affects (graft vs host disease and rejection). Becauase there is more than one baby developing in utero...the cord blood may have antibodies (from the other sibling) in it that may have adverse results to the transplant patient.

You may be able to store the cord for your own personal use at private banks but that can be expensive.

Cord blood is a great resource and has loads of undiscovered potential but is very expensive to store.

the National Marrow Donor Programs website is as follows
http://www.marrow.org/

the one that was listed by a pp is for CryoBanks International, a cord blood bank out of Florida


HTH

 

Another thing...
If your hospital does not work with a cord blood bank, CryoBanks International will arrange for the collections of cord almost anywhere. You can go to that website for more information. But again...usually not for multiples