The use of umbilical cord blood stem cells has increased significantly in the past 20 years.³⁸ Today, doctors all over the world are realizing the power of newborn stem cells and recommending family banking to their patients. 

When faced with the illness of a child or loved one, families want hope and doctors want options. Banking newborn stem cells provides both.

Doctors recommend banking for a variety of reasons. Umbilical cord blood is used today to treat many life-threatening diseases including leukemia, certain other cancers and blood, immune and metabolic disorders. And using your own family’s cord blood can have significant advantages in treatments, including fewer complications and improved medical outcomes.^28,29

What Doctors Say About Banking Newborn Stem Cells

Potentially Lifesaving Purchase

"There's only two things that (you can) potentially buy your new baby that are lifesaving: One is a good car seat and the other is cord blood."

~ Dr. Marra Francis, Ob/Gyn, CBR medical consultant

More Uses Than We Know

~ Dr. LeeAnn Jensen, Immunologist National Institutes of Health

Potential to Heal the Body in New Ways

"A really exciting area that's just now in the basic science lab, is the area where stem cells...can be used for going over to muscle cells like your heart muscle if you had a heart attack...or brain cells if you had Parkinson's Disease...Hopefully, in 20 or 30 or 40 years...these might be potential applications for stem cells including umbilical cord blood stem cells."

~ Dr. Stanton Goldman, Pediatric Hematologist Oncologist and stem cell transplant Physician, Medical City, Dallas, Texas

A Chance of Nervous System Repair

"Through cultivation of stem cells extracted from the cord blood, patients with spinal injuries have a great chance of having their damaged nervous system repaired, helping them to rise on their feet again."

~ Dr. Chiang Yung-hsiao, Ph.D., Chairman of Neurosurgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, Tapei, Taiwan

Might Be Useful For Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries

"[Cord blood stem cells] might be suitable for transplantation in neurodegenerative diseases, gene delivery to the central nervous system, and repair of brain and spinal cord injuries."

~ Juan R. Sanchez-Ramos, Shijie Song, Siddharth G. Kamath, et al. Experimental Neurology, 171, 2001

Significant for Ethnic Minorities and Families with History of Cancer

"The ultimate goal is for all usable umbilical cord blood to be banked in a national cord blood [bank] similar to the National Bone Marrow Donor Program or saved for an individual's or family's own potential use. The latter may prove especially significant for those with a family history of leukemia or cancer or for minority ethnic patients."

~ Nursing Spectrum, February 24, 1997

A Better Chance for a Healthy Recovery

~ Drs. Vanderson Rocha, John E. Wagner, Jr., Eliane Gluckman, et. al. New England Journal of Medicine, June 22, 2000