When it comes to our children there’s pretty much nothing we wouldn’t do to keep them safe, healthy and happy. The moment I found out I was pregnant I had a million things running through my mind about what kind of mom I would be and how I was going to keep this perfect little human safe in the world.
Having a healthy child is every parents dream and it just breaks my heart that some families have to go through the tragedy of illness with their children or loved ones.
Both of my sisters have kids and one of the first things they mentioned to me when I was chatting to them about all my thoughts and worries is that they both had the stem cells of their children collected at birth and cryogenically frozen with a company called CryoSave. I went on to do my own research and was AMAZED at the process and what your child’s own stem cells can potentially do for them in the treatment of many diseases and illnesses.
Here is some literature from the CryoSave website that explains the difference between umbilical cord blood and umbilical cord tissue which I found super interesting.
“Stem cells are referred to as the basic building blocks of the body. They can replicate and renew themselves and have the potential to become almost any other type of cell in the body. Stem cells are found, for example, in bone marrow, peripheral blood and in umbilical cord blood and umbilical cord tissue as well as in many other tissues in the body. They are ‘master’ cells from which all of the various types of blood cells, as well as tissue in bone, muscle, heart, liver, kidney, skin etc develop.”
“Umbilical cord blood and umbilical cord tissue is a very rich source of stem cells.”
“The umbilical cord blood is rich in haematopoietic (blood forming) stem cells and is approved for treatment of certain blood diseases. Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation currently plays a vital role in the treatment of diseases such as bone marrow failure, leukemia, lymphoma, other types of blood cancers, inherited blood and metabolic disorders, and immune-deficiency syndromes. To date, over 80 types of diseases have been treated with cord blood stem cells.”
“In the umbilical cord tissue is a gelatinous substance which functions as the primary connective tissue of the umbilical cord, referred to as Wharton’s Jelly. This cord tissue contains a type of stem, the mesenchymal stem cell, often referred to as the regenerative stem cell. These cells are excellent candidates for Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering applications. Stem cells from umbilical cord tissue have the potential to promote healing and enable the repair of diseased or injured tissue.”
The process was so seamless from start to finish. We made contact with CryoSave through their online platform and they responded to our query that very same day and we got the ball rolling. After discussing which package we wanted to take they sent through an application form for us to fill in and we had our stem cell collection kit sent to us a few days later. This was the box that we had to take with us to the hospital and give to our gynecologist to take with him to theatre on the day of the birth. We opted for the Core Option which is their most popular option and this includes collection, processing and storage of core and blood tissue, viability testing, courier costs and local storage of 20 years with the first 5 years free.
As soon as the baby is out they allow a few seconds for the umbilical cord to pulsate to allow blood through and then when the umbilical cord is cut they take some blood and also some umbilical cord tissue and place it in the sterile collection box which is then immediately sealed. Once I was back in my room after a little while in the recovery ward we called CryoSave and they had their driver come and collect the box within a couple of hours to take straight to their laboratory and storage facility where the stem cells were then processed and cryogenically frozen. MAGIC!!!
They made the whole experience so easy and the fact that we now have peace of mind knowing our little boys stem cells are safe is priceless!
There are a few different package options to choose from depending on your personal requirements and budget so for anyone wanting more information on CryoSave you can go visit their website https://www.cryo-save.co.za/
Tracy
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