The Donation Of Umbilical Cord Blood Can Save Lives!
Until a few years ago, when a baby was born, the placenta and umbilical cord were simply thrown away. But now we know that this tissue, and especially the umbilical cord itself, are full of stem cells and that donating umbilical cord blood can therefore save lives.
Stem cells are very valuable. They differ in their properties from other body cells. The most important of these is their ability to make various other cells. This is why the donation of umbilical cord blood, which contains stem cells, is so important.
Stem cells are the source from which the tissues and organs in our body regenerate. They are non-specialized cells that can renew and multiply themselves.
The donation of umbilical cord blood is painless!
There is an ideal time to collect cord blood. This lies between the birth of your baby and the kicking out of the mother cake. This is not only the chance to harvest stem cells, but also the best moment. Stem cells are present in our body throughout our lives.
But the stem cells that are taken from the umbilical cord are free from infections or other influences. You are as pure as the newborn baby, so to speak.
The donation of umbilical cord blood is a painless process. It can take place immediately after birth.
When your baby arrives, the medical team will cut the umbilical cord. At that moment, the obstetrician draws blood from the umbilical vein. Only at this point in time can such a large amount of stem cells be removed.
For example, donating umbilical cord blood can help patients with bone marrow disorders. Stem cell transfer enables the recipient to produce new healthy blood cells. These are essential for survival.
Why is cord blood donation so important?
Umbilical cord stem cells can help cure degenerative diseases. They have been used in the treatment of blood diseases such as leukemia for several years.
The United States and some European countries are leading the way in researching this. They are now even working on regenerating intestinal tissue and other organs with the help of stem cells.
Cord blood donation can help many people. For this reason, most developed countries keep a register of voluntary donors. These lists contain data from people who are willing to donate.
Cord blood can be used for patients around the world. The only condition for this is that the donor and recipient must match.
There is a stem cell bank that has stored over 200,000 units of umbilical cord blood. This can help people all over the world. This is why cord blood donation is so important.
If a suitable donation has been found for a patient, the blood is sent to the recipient’s country. This means that neither the patient nor the donor have to travel.
This procedure is also standardized worldwide. So it always works the same way. Let’s just imagine how cord blood from one mother in Europe can help another mother in the United States, Australia, or other countries.
This means that donating umbilical cord blood is a way to help people all over the world. The most important thing in saving lives is human collaboration.
