GAYLE Connors has leukaemia but does not want baby grandson Cooper to fall victim to the same disease.
While she knows the risk is low, she said paying $3000 to store her first grandchild's umbilical cord blood at birth, and the vital stem cells it contains for peace of mind, was nothing.
"My grandfather died of leukaemia, so you just never know," she said. "By the time Cooper is 18 or 19, God forbid if he was ever in a car accident and lost the ability to walk, it's possible stem cells could help him to walk."
Only 1 per cent of newborns have their stem cells stored in Australia each year.
Medical director of stem cell storage firm Cell Care, Associate Professor Mark Kirkland, said this was one of the lowest rates in the world - probably because there was little awareness about stem cell potential.
"In other countries the rate ranges anywhere from two to 10 per cent," he said.
"In Singapore it's 20 per cent."
In SA, umbilical cord blood can only be stored with a private firm because no public bank exists.
This also ensures the stem cells will be kept for personal use only.
Mrs Connors also has a daughter with cerebral palsy, which stem cells could one day play a key role in defeating.
"I had no idea about it before I saw a brochure while with my daughter at her obstetrician's. Now I tell everybody about it because you just don't know what you might need it for."
Umbilical cord blood is the blood left behind in the placenta and umbilical cord after the birth of a baby.
Associate Professor Kirkland said future uses could include spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, brain injury and strokes.
Stem cells are mainly used for autoimmune diseases like Leukaemia - when the body starts attacking its own cells as if they were foreign invaders - but because of their regeneration properties their use in the future could be endless.
"Clinical trial for type one diabetes and cerebral palsy are starting in Australia next year," he said.
But, he said until trials are completed, treatment options could be some years away.
For multiple sclerosis and other disorders would be further away due to the age of the cord blood stored.
"We can't test for another 10 years because the people we've collected the cord blood from are not old enough. We can't prove therapies until the people who've stored cord blood are old enough to get those diseases."
My wife and I saved both our children's umbilical cord blood at birth with the same belief as the Connors, it is an investment into our children's future medical well-being.
Presently over 70+ diseases are being treated using cord blood stem cells with the future applications having limitless possibilities. One of the reasons my wife and I banked both of our children's cord blood was because of the rapid advancement the stem cell industry is seeing and the number of diseases treated in the next 5 or 10 years could be double possibly. Get educated on the value of cord blood banking for your child and for you family. Visit us at www.thecordgroup.com for more......................MrCordBlood
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