Highmark Members

Why Save Your Baby's Cord Blood?

You may have already heard about umbilical cord blood and the lifesaving stem cells it contains. Stem cells, like those found in the placenta and umbilical cord, are the source of platelets and the oxygen-carrying red blood cells in your bloodstream. Stem cells also give birth to the white cells of the immune system that allow you to fight infections and protect your body from foreign matter. Cord blood stem cells may be used to treat over 70 diseases, including leukemia, bone marrow disorders, aplastic anemia, Hodgkin's disease, Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, genetic disorders and tumors of the plasma cells, nerve cells and the retina.

In healthy people, stem cells continually replenish the blood and immune system cells. However, if the blood system has been ravished by disease or by treatments such as radiation or chemotherapy, new stem cells are necessary to rebuild the body’s blood and immune systems. Preserved cord blood stem cells represent a significant new method of rebuilding or replacing a person’s blood system. Someday, the cord blood stem cells you preserve with CorCell could be used to give life to someone close to you. Not only are the cord blood stem cells a perfect match for the baby, they could also provide life saving benefits for siblings and other family members.