It's December 7th, 2011 and in one week a young lady, Robyn McKinney, that I have had the enormous pleasure of meeting and getting to know will welcome to this world a new addition to her family, a son to be named Laine Michael McKinney. The birth of a new child is a joyous occasion but this one is a little more special and dear to my heart.
What is special about her delivery is that she is banking her son's umbilical cord blood. Yes this is not the first time this has ever been done but those precious cord blood stem cells have already been marked for donation to a family member for transplant. One of the mother's relatives whom everyone calls "Bre" suffered a traumatic brain injury 3 years ago. Since "Bre's " mother had not been made aware about cord blood banking at the time she was delivered, she did not have the chance to do cord blood banking. Along with the news that a related donors cord blood stem cells will now be able to be banked and stored for transplant, Bre also has been accepted into two transplant programs, one using placental stem cells and the other using these donated stem cells from baby Laine's umbilical cord blood. Doctors have given the transplants an 85% success rate and the whole community is deep in prayer that they may see "the old Bre" back again after the transplants along with the therapy to follow.
It is such a wonderful feeling to know that by chance I was able to meet with this great family, tell them my story and share my knowledge about cord blood banking and now in just a few short months, a brave girl who has suffered major setbacks and obstacles now has hope for a better life. Playing albeit a small part in this wonderful story makes me smile and reinforces my conviction that saving your baby's cord blood saves lives!!! I am so honored to write this today and wish Robyn, Bre, and baby Laine all the best and pray for a wonderful outcome. You never know how one decision can reshape someone's future for the rest of their life. I URGE EVERY EXPECTING PARENT to please learn more about the life saving potential cord blood banking offers, this could be your child or relative one day. Today I am so proud to be the President & CEO of The Cord Group!
I would like to update this post. On 12/10/11 at 1:30 AM, baby Laine made his entrance into this world with no complications. Both mom and baby are doing well and their cord blood collection went smoothly and is on its journey to the bank they chose for processing and storage. The little miracle working cells will not be there for long as "Bre" will be leaving in the next few weeks for the first of 2 transplants, one using those umbilical for blood stem cells and the other from placental stem cells. My thoughts and prayers are always with this very special family and it is an honor they have let me write about the progress of what I am so eloquently calling, "The Stem Cell Journey." I will continue to blog updates throughout and I hope my readers will keep praying for success as they undergo this journey on Bre's road to recovery.
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