How Cord Blood Helped Saved Lives

You don't have to convince Gary and Lisa Farquharson about the value of cord blood banking. In 2000, the Canada residents discovered that their four-month-old son, Jesse, had contracted a rare cancer that spread from his eye directly into his spinal cord. The news was devastating. Jesse would have to undergo seven months of potent chemotherapy just to beat the cancer. Then, the chemotherapy would all but destroy the baby's immune system, leaving him so susceptible to germs that a common cold might kill him.

Transplant Was the Only Option

Doctors informed the Farquharsons that unless Jesse received transplanted stem cells, he had little chance of surviving. Stem cells enable the human body to regenerate healthy cells that rebuild the immune system. Too often, the wait for marrow donors exceeds the time a patient has to live without receiving a transplant. With amazing foresight, the Farquharsons had banked Jesse's umbilical cord blood.

Biological Insurance that Pays Dividends

During Lisa's pregnancy the Farquharsons engaged a cord blood bank. The bank sent along the donor kit ahead of Jesse's projected birth date. Once the umbilical cord was cut, delivery physicians collected the blood in specialty bags and sent it to the private bank for freezing. Cord blood is considered to be a safer source than marrow extract since the recipient rarely rejects new tissue from its own body. More importantly, the cord blood supply spared the Farquharsons the gut-wrenching, often futile search for an available donor. For a little more than $1,000, the Farquharsons had reserved several ounces of precious cord blood. In short order, the cells restored Jesse's immune system, and today he's a healthy young boy.