Cord blood contains life-saving stem cells that, if not collected at birth, will be lost forever. Currently, over 90% of the stem cells in cord blood are discarded as medical waste each year in the United States.

Why save cord blood?

• Approximately 1 in 3 Americans could benefit from regenerative medicine.
• Cord blood transplants, unlike bone marrow grafts, do not need to be a perfect match to achieve successful outcomes.
• It is easier to match transplant patients with cord blood than with adult donors.
• Transplant patients have a better recovery when receiving stem cells from a related donor.
• 70% of patients who need a stem cell transplant do not have a matching donor in their own family.

Families only have one chance to save a child's cord blood, and that is at birth. Cord blood collection is a safe and simple procedure that poses no risk to mother or baby.

Resources:

http://www.cordbloodawareness.org/
http://www.parentsguidecordblood.org/
http://www.nationalcordbloodprogram.org/