All across the country this month people are helping raise awareness about premature births. According to the March of Dimes, 1 in 8 babies born in the US each year is born prematurely and 15 million babies worldwide are born too soon.¹ Many of these little fighters will grow up healthy and unaffected by their early entrance into the world, however many will not. These babies are at an increased risk of serious medical complications and lasting disabilities including cerebral palsy; chronic lung diseases and vision and hearing problems.¹

Although decades of research have been unable to identify an effective way to help prevent premature births, medical providers have made tremendous advances in caring for babies born too small and too soon. Continue reading →

ViaCord families help raise awareness about cord blood banking on a daily basis – something we are very grateful for. From Facebook posts about the decision to bank, to simple ‘Did you know about…’ conversations in the grocery store, ViaCord families want others to know about the value of cord blood. We recently caught up with a ViaCord mom, Dawn, who is doing just that through a new endeavor of hers.

In 2007, Dawn welcomed twin boys into the world, and almost exactly two years later she welcomed another set of twins into the world – this time a boy and girl! Along with her husband, Tim, Dawn has spent the last several years raising her little ones while continuing to work part-time and further her education. A Super-Mom? We’d say so!

Dawn chronicled her successes and failures, and made tools along the way that helped her navigate the day to day. Continue reading →

Sunday is National Grandparents Day, and before the celebrations begin we’d like to take a moment to say thank you to grandparents everywhere for playing such an important role in family life. As mentors, nurturers, heroes, buddies, providers – today’s generation of grandparents is one-of-a-kind.

Grandparents today are strongly aware of the importance of maintaining good health and planning for it, as well as the significant advancements being made in medicine today.

That’s why it’s no surprise many grandparents are helping make the important decision to bank their grandchild’s newborn stem cells, which could potentially protect that grandchild or his/her siblings. From passing along information about the benefits of cord blood and cord tissue banking, to gifting ViaCord’s service rather than buying something for the baby’s nursery, their involvement in the decision making process is on the rise – and we can’t tell you how great that is to see.

In fact, a life-saving decision made by parents Ben and Jamie Page to bank their daughter’s cord blood was initiated by Jamie’s mother. Jamie’s mother had seen a story about cord blood banking on the television and told Jamie it was something she should look into. According to Jamie, “we did it not thinking we would need it just a few months later.” When their daughter, Harlow, was just four months old doctors discovered a “grapefruit sized mass in her stomach” and “nobody could agree” on what kind of cancer it was. As treatment options were discussed the Pages wondered if the stem cells from her cord blood could be used to treat their daughter’s aggressive cancer. You can watch the Page’s story by clicking here.

Whether it’s banking newborn stem cells or picking out a color for the baby’s room, a grandparent’s involvement in any sort of family decision is a reflection of one thing – love.  As a way to show our love, thanks and appreciation for the special people we call grandparents, ViaCord created a board on Pinterest entitled, “We love Grandparents…” – well, because we do! We hope you enjoy it and feel free to leave a comment below about how much you love the grandparent’s in your life!