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Most families see cord blood banking as a valuable opportunity – a chance to preserve stem cells that, if one of their children falls ill in the future, might provide a lifesaving treatment option. Andres and Paulina Treviño are a startling exception: when they banked their daughter Sofia’s cord blood with Viacord, they already planned to use her stem cells to treat and potentially help save her brother Andy from a life-threatening immune disorder.
Rewind five years to when, after Andy was born in Mexico City, a barrage of infections kept him hospitalized for most of his first 16 months. When Andy’s doctors couldn’t understand why, they advised Andres and Paulina to find specialized care. Coincidentally, one of the Treviños’ neighbors had a cousin who worked at Children’s Hospital Boston. They learned the hospital is a a world leader in helping families overcome even the most complicated immune disorders. So they packed their bags and carried Andy thousands of miles away.
For more than 15 years, ViaCord has been proud to provide families the option to privately store their newborn’s umbilical cord blood for potential use in a medical treatment. Over the years we’ve seen many families in need of a stem cell treatment turn to the cord blood stem cells they’ve banked with us. At the beginning of 2011, ViaCord released its 200th cord blood unit to help treat a child with cerebral palsy. This milestone gave us a chance to reflect on the advancements cord blood stem cells have made in medical applications over the past two decades – from being used to treat just one disease twenty years ago, to nearly 80 today; as well as being studied by scientists in the area of regenerative medicine. It also made us think of the faces, the hearts and the family stories behind the 200 number.
Let’s take a look back at some of the heartwarming ViaCord family stories from 2011…
For many, the Thanksgiving season is an opportunity to take some time and reflect, give thanks and express gratitude. This year we asked our very own ViaCord employees to tell us the things they’re grateful for this year. Here’s what they said:
“This year more than ever, I’m thankful for the strength, love and support of my wife, Janaelle, who is the reason I got through my stem cell transplant last year—better and stronger than ever!!”
- Brian, ViaCord Clinical Consultant
“I am thankful for my 33 healthy nieces and nephews and for having a job that allows me to collaborate and affect positive change with so many intelligent, passionate and hard-working coworkers, making a difference for better future health for families.”
- Karen, Vice President Lab Operations and ViaCord Site Leader
Ever wish someone could explain to you in 30 seconds how umbilical cord blood stem cells are collected? Does hearing stories of ViaCord families inspire you to let friends and family know about the option of stem cell preservation? Would it be helpful to hear an OB’s perspective on cord blood banking? Well now you can watch, learn and be inspired all in one place – on ViaCord’s YouTube Channel!
Bringing ViaCord families and information to your home
With over 4 million people connecting and auto-sharing via social networks,1YouTube is a great way to help spread awareness about the importance of cord blood and cord tissue banking, and the work that we do at ViaCord.
Holidays are a great time for us to connect with our ViaCord families, especially on spooktacular days like Halloween! Trick-or-treating will be starting soon, and that means ghouls and goblins will be lining the streets to fill their bags with candy. Kids love costumes and dressing up—but it’s important to remember safety when they head out. Consider these tips for to ensure you have the most spook-tastic and safe Halloween ever!
Monsters and princesses should always travel in packs.
Kids should never go trick-or-treating alone. Get a group of kids together to go out hunting for candy together. They can even coordinate their costumes. And make sure your little ones have flashlights, glowsticks or reflector tape as part of their costumes. You can even get creative with the tape and make scary faces.
- Test the spooks before the big day.
Costumes are designed for all different shapes and sizes. It’s important that the costume fits correctly to avoid any real scares on this candy holiday. And that includes makeup. Try the makeup on a small area of skin to make…
Everything you and your doctor need for a successful collection is provided in your Viacord kit. We’ve got a few tips to share to ensure the process goes smoothly.
1. LET THE STAFF KNOW UPON ARRIVAL
Letting the medical staff know you’ve chosen to collect your baby’s cord blood or cord tissue, or both is an important first step in the cord blood collection process. Even if it’s noted in your files, telling the staff at the hospital of exactly what you’ve ordered will ensure everyone’s in the know. And if medical staff shift rotation takes place during your time in labor, inform the replacement staff as well. Keeping everyone in the know is the way to go!
2. COLLECT EVEN WITH A C-SECTION
When moms go in for a c-section, whether it’s planned or unplanned, sometimes the collection kit gets left behind. Make sure it’s known that you want to collect your cord blood or cord tissue or both – whichever you ordered, so the medical staff will make sure the kit is in the c-section room. ViaCord’s…