This post was sponsored by Salveo – the company that has partnered with me to store my baby’s stem cells.
Stem cell storage is not a topic that we discuss often enough – especially amongst us moms.
Why?
Is it because of the perception we have about the companies involved or is it because we think it’s too expensive and will never be needed?
I think the biggest problem with the topic of stem cells storage is that many of us do not really understand what it is, and why will we ever need it.
I pray that I will never have to use my baby’s stem cell storage but the truth is that there is a big possibility that we may need it sometime in the future.
The reality is that I am a mom and sometimes I think about all the what ifs.
I can’t predict what’s going to happen and it freaks me out just thinking about what could happen.
The truth is I that I did not consider stem cell storage with my last two pregnancies. I did not bother to research it. Perhaps this was because I thought that it was another opportunity for companies to make tons of money from first-time parents.
I ignored the stem cell banks at the baby expo and yawned during the presentations at baby seminars until I came across a story on Facebook that made me think about my children, their health and how anything can happen when you least expect it.
This post is not to make you feel guilty but to rather encourage you to educate yourself on topics that no one talks about. Topics like stem cells storage, hidden medical aid costs and what happens during an emergency C-section.
After doing a ton of research, chatting to my medical aid and gynaecologist about this, I decided to have a serious sit-down conversation with my husband. He was surprised to hear that I was even considering this (thinking back about previous conversations we had where I totally ignored him when he had wanted to invest in it).
Remember this is a personal decision that only you and your partner can make.
We both agreed that stem cell storage was an investment for our kids. This is our last opportunity for the procedure since we are done having babies and we aren’t going to miss it!
There’s so much to learn about stem cells, it’s history and the clinical trials that are currently happening. I am not going to overwhelm you in one post so I will be breaking down the information and even capturing the precious moment where we store our little one’s stem cells during our C-Section which is happening in 3 weeks’ time.
The 2 important Questions:
What are stem cells?
“STEM CELLS are the body’s internal repair system. It continuously replaces dead or diseased cells with new, healthy cells to ensure normal function of the body. BLOOD FORMING STEM CELLS, like the ones found in umbilical cord blood, produce new and healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets continuously, to ensure normal function of the blood and immune system, (like a factory producing new cars every day). RED BLOOD CELLS are responsible for carrying oxygen to all parts of the body. WHITE BLOOD CELLS are the soldiers in our blood and fight off all foreign invaders like bacteria etc. PLATELETS form clots to prevent excessive bleeding,” Erna West, Product Manager for Salveo and Cryo-Save in South Africa.
The first successful stem cell transplant was performed in 1988 when a little boy with Fanconi’s Anaemia (a serious blood disorder) received stem cells collected from the cord blood of his newborn sister. Now, there are over 80 conditions where stem cell therapy now has a proven role and advances are being made in this field all the time.
Why should you consider storing your baby’s stem cells?
Science is changing! Technology is becoming so advanced that you can even print out organs on a 3D printer. Treatments that once upon a time sounded like science fiction are now becoming a reality.
Stem cells have the amazing ability to transform into different types of cells. It is their power to create and regenerate organs, blood, tissue, and the immune system that make them so important.
They can be found throughout the body – in your bone marrow, or fatty tissue, for instance.
Blood stem cells play a vital role in the treatment of diseases such as bone marrow failure (aplastic anaemia), leukaemia, lymphoma, other types of blood cancers and hereditary blood disorders such as sickle cell disease. There have been success stories of treatment in type 1 diabetes and brain problems.
The younger, more flexible stem cells are found in your newborn baby’s umbilical cord blood and tissue. They offer your child advanced scientific opportunities for health.
This is like gold being thrown away as medical waste every day in hospitals worldwide…
To read more about what stem cells are used for, visit www.ecsbio.com.
I’m so excited to announce my partnership with Salveo South Africa! This project is extremely special to me because it is extremely personal. I will be sharing my journey with you over the next couple of months.
Did you know you that Salveo offers installment plans for stem cells storage?
This service is available at interest-free monthly installments of less than R350 per month for five years! Salveo is making it a worthwhile investment, especially considering that there is no public stem cell bank in Africa.
Visits to the Cryo-Save/Salveo Laboratory can be arranged. Giving you the opportunity to inspect the storage facility and learn more about the life-saving abilities of stem cells.
For more information, visit www.ecsbio.com/salveo.
39 comments
This is such an amazing idea. I think if you have the funds and the ability to bank those cells, it’s worth. I love it!
Very informative! The idea of banking umbilical stem cells in case they are needed later on is a great thing and will hopefully prevent and treat many illnesses that arise.
My daughter wanted to do this when she gave birth to her twins, but at the time, the cost of storing stem cells was very high and they couldn’t afford it.
Storing stem cells is an amazing thing to do if you are able!! I am so glad you did!!
I wish I would have known about this when I was still having babies! This really is a great thing! They sure have come a long way over the years.
My mother’s life was saved by stem cells. It can be an amazing thing to do for your family.
Wow, I wish this was available a while ago. I think this is an amazing option for parents.
I really wish that I would have done this with my babies. It just was out of reach financially. Stem cells could have possibly healed my back.
This is a great idea, I use to hear about this all the time. I never did it with my kids though.
This is so interesting! I never considered this or even knew about it. I’ll consider this when we decide to have kids!
Jasmine / http://www.jasminekeclipse.com
This is so informative! Glad I’ve read about this!
We are done having babies now. When I had my boys, I don’t remember hearing much about this. I wish there had been more information then to help us decide.
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