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WOMEN'S HEALTH
Upstate Cord Blood Bank celebrates five years of operation
MOTHERS DELIVERING CORD BLOOD AT BIRTH HELP SAVE LIVES
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he Upstate Cord Blood Bank, the region’s only not-for-profit public cord blood donation center, is dedicated to saving and improving lives through the life-saving gift of cord blood. The term “cord blood” may sound daunting, but it’s actually quite simple. After a baby is born and the umbilical cord is cut, the blood remaining in the umbilical cord is called cord blood. Cord blood is abundant in Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs), which are blood-forming stem cells, similar to those contained within bone marrow. These stem cells can reconstitute an immune system, and have the ability to treat, repair, and/ or replace damaged cells in the body. For those suffering from blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma, and as many as 80 other life-threatening diseases, a cord blood transplant might be the only hope of a cure. “Umbilical cord blood is typically discarded as medical waste,” said Dr. Matthew Elkins, medical director of the Upstate Cord Blood Bank. “We encourage expectant mothers to donate so
that lives may be potentially saved through this painless, five-minute process just moments after giving birth. Cord blood donation is completely safe for mother and baby; labor and delivery is not affected and no blood is taken from the newborn; it is only removed from the umbilical cord after birth. The designation of Upstate Cord Blood
JU LY 2022
Bank as a public blood bank is important in that there is no cost to donate and donated cord blood is available to anyone who needs it. Once donated, the cord blood is stored in the bank and made available to transplant centers in the United States and throughout the world for patients in need. The cord blood units will be listed on national and international registries to
FOOD, FASH ION & ENTERTAI N M ENT EDITION
