Cord Blood Stem Cells Information

How do I donate to a public cord blood bank?

I am due in about 4 weeks, and have been interested in Cord Blood Banking for research developement purposes. All of the private banks cost to much (insurance will not cover it) and most of the time it is held for your personal use, not to be used for research or to help others in need. I want to donate my baby's cord blood to a public bank (which is free and gets used to help others in need and/or for research). I have come up against a brick wall when trying to find a way to donate as there are no public banks in my area. Does anyone know of a way to donate to a public bank if it is out of your area? If you know of any that are in the central valley of California that would be helpful as well.

Public Comments

1. As one of the few who's benefitted from a cord blood transplant, I know how priceless it is. You can find out more from the link I've referenced on how to donate cord blood. It might be too far along in your pregnancy to donate now but you can contact stemcyte and they'll send you a kit to take to the hospital with you when you are about to deliver. This option allows your dr to collect the cord blood after your baby is born, especially if your hospital is not a participating hospital. Here's the story on how cord blood saved my life: http://cbs11tv.com/health/local_story_103200817.html
2. To be honest the best way is to talk it over with your obgyn and they should give you some insight on what you should do. You can also contact I believe the red cross and they can give you information.
3. i'm not 100 percent sure of this since there was a lot going on at the time :-) , but i'm pretty sure it was asked on our hospital's pre-admission form and then again when we were in the l&d room. check with your hospital. they get asked far more annoying questions than that one. public banking is the right thing to do :-)