Banking on Cord Blood

When Jessica Hahn, 23, a graduate of Rockhurst University, was just 9 years old, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. While chemotherapy attacked her cancer, the treatment bankrupted her bone marrow. Umbilical cord blood from a donor replaced her dying bone marrow with new healthy bone marrow and, ultimately, saved her life.

A baby’s umbilical cord blood contains a rich supply of potentially life-saving stem cells that can treat leukemia, lymphoma and many other critical medical conditions. Uncertain of the future, but put off by the cost, many parents wrestle with the decision to bank their baby’s cord blood. And often, the umbilical cord is discarded.

The private banking gamble. Private banks advise parents to pay to store their baby’s cord blood as a sort of insurance should the child develop a life-threatening diagnosis that could be treated with stem cells.

Private banking may not be a practical option for many families because it’s expensive, costing more than $2,000 for the initial processing and around $125 annually after that. The American Academy of Pediatrics, which generally recommends donating cord blood unless a family member suffers from a medical condition that could benefit from a cord blood transplant, says the likelihood of your child ever needing her own cord blood is low, estimating the chances at one in 1,000 to one in 200,000. Still, some families aren’t willing to take any chances.

Anne Schoofs of Leawood chose to bank her children’s cord blood, including that of 2-year-old Grace and 11-month-old twins Katie and Mattie. “We did not have a specific medical issue that impacted our decision. We just figured you never know what the future will hold,” Schoofs says. “And, even though there are relatively few diseases they can treat today, there could be a lot more in 5, 10 or 15 years.”

Donating to public banks. It costs mothers nothing to donate cord blood to a public bank, but few hospitals in the area offer the service due to the expense of creating and maintaining a cord blood donor program.

Currently, Saint Luke’s is the only provider in the region to offer cord blood donation services at four of its locations, including Saint Luke’s Hospital, Saint Luke’s South, Saint Luke’s East and Saint Luke’s North. Since beginning its program in 2008, Saint Luke’s has received an overwhelming response from mothers, collecting more than 2,000 umbilical cord blood donations.

“A lot of people with terrible diseases have been given hope because mothers have been willing to donate their cord blood,” says Bill Ward, director of cellular therapy services at Saint Luke’s Health System.

Kari Sneed, Liberty, learned about the donation program through her doctor when she was pregnant with her daughter Sofie. She felt like the decision was a no-brainer.

“All I could think was that if the tables were turned and we were the ones who needed stem cells, I would want Sofie to have the opportunity to have the best life she could,” Sneed says.

How is it collected? Capturing cord blood is a painless, completely elective process following the birth of the baby. After the cord is clamped and cut, doctors use a needle to collect the blood.

The unit is then tested and processed in a stem cell processing laboratory to determine whether enough stem cells exist to make it viable for transplant.

What is the criteria? Mothers interested in donating cord blood must pre-register ahead of time and complete a questionnaire about risk factors, including a thorough behavioral and medical history.

“Those units are going to be transplanted into somebody with a life-threatening disease, and we don’t want to add any diseases...to that patient,” Ward says.

Saint Luke’s donations are sent to the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank, which matches children and adults around the world awaiting a stem cell transplant. Donations from minorities are especially needed.

“A mother’s decision to donate her child’s umbilical cord blood saved my life,” Hahn says. “You never know...who will need our help, so it is good to save such a precious thing as cord blood with its potential to save lives instead of letting it go to waste.”

To learn more about cord blood banking, contact the National Marrow Donor Program at www.Marrow.org or visit www.SaintLukesHealthSystem.org. Whether considering public or private banking, consult with your physician to determine the best options for you and your family.

Christa Hines, a freelance writer in Olathe, spends her timeresearching health and parenting issues while trying to keep up with hertwo active young sons.