SAN ANTONIO -- The Texas Cord Blood Bank in San Antonio has reached a major milestone. It’s collected its 10,000th donation from parents of newborns.
Since it started collecting volunteer donations in 2005, the public Texas Cord Blood Bank has been in the business of saving lives.
12-year-old John Carlo Fernando is a leukemia patient whose life was transformed by a cord blood transplant. Not just transformed, says Dr. Ka Wah Chan, but saved by a donation from a stranger.
“Actually, for him we had to use two units of cord blood for enough cells to allow this transplant to proceed,” explained Chan, a pediatric blood transplant specialist. “And we’re pretty sure that without the transplant, he would not be alive.”
Cord blood, harvested at birth, is rich in stem cells that can help treat diseases like leukemia, lymphoma and sickle cell. Research shows umbilical cord blood may help with conditions Parkinson’s, even someday, perhaps, type one diabetes.
“That cord blood would otherwise be thrown away as medical waste,” explained Mary Beth Fisk of the Texas Cord Blood Bank. “But it can be saved. And it can go on to save another life.”
The thousands of donations from 14 Texas hospitals (including four in San Antonio) are stored at the Texas Cord Blood Bank. Patients all over the world have access. It’s a resource that’s been hit hard by cut in state funding.
Ethnicity matters in cord blood transplants. Fernando is of Filipino descent. That’s why finding a match for him was a challenge.
Advocates of public cord blood banking say they hope new parents of all races will consider this painless way to help.
“We can save more lives that way by allowing other people to look into the bank and find the best match unit to be used for transplant,” Chan said.
Methodist Children’s Hospital in San Antonio is a leader in cord blood transplants. They’ve performed 250 procedures over the last decade.
