Identifying information is never exchanged between a cord blood donor and cord blood transplant recipient. The identity of the cord blood donor is kept confidential at the cord blood bank.

It is the blood obtained from the umbilical cord at birth. The cord blood contains stem cells. Stem cells are the cells that make all of the other cells in your body, i.e., heart cells, neural cells, etc. These stem cells continue to reproduce throughout life unless they are destroyed by cancer or blood disease. If your stem cells are destroyed, you will die unless they are replaced by transplant.

The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) is committed to building a strong network and inventory of high-quality cord blood units available to any patient who needs a transplant. We work with expectant parents and public cord blood banks to increase the number and diversity of cord blood units available for patients. We are also committed to improving transplant results for patients. That is why we are conducting a research study on cord blood transplantation and patient outcomes.

of people who need bone marrow transplants can not find a match. Finding a proper match is especially problematic for African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and people of mixed ethnicity. By banking your baby's stem cells, the odds of having a proper match for the baby or another family member improve.

Donating cord blood is medically safe. Donating poses no health risks to you or your baby. Donating does not affect your baby or your birth experience because the cord blood is collected after your baby is born. If you or your baby experience any complications during delivery, your doctor will not collect the cord blood. There is no cost for donating for public use.

Donating your child's cord blood or storing it for private use is a personal decision that only you can make. If you have a child with leukemia or other disease that may be treatable by transplant and you are pregnant, talk with your oncologist or pediatrician about saving your baby's cord blood. Families may feel a great deal of pressure from the promotions and advertisements they receive from the for-profit private storage cord blood banks.

If you are interested, or someone you know is interested, in donating cord blood, look for a Cord Blood Bank or collecting hospital within or close to your community. There are only a small number of cord blood banks in the United States, so donation to a local bank is not possible in many areas.

Once the donated cord blood is processed and stored at the Cord Blood Bank, it is listed on the NMDP Registry and available to patients all over the world who are searching for a match. The cord blood can be transplanted into any patient whose doctor selects the cord as a match for that patient.

On any given day, more than 6,000 patients, their families and friends around the world are searching the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry for a matching bone marrow donor or cord blood unit. These patients have leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases that can be treated by a bone marrow or cord blood transplant.

Blood you donate here at Hoag begins being processed for use by our patients as soon as you donate. You'll get the satisfaction of knowing you have directly helped another person and a free mini-medical examination including a blood pressure check. An identification card showing your blood group and Rh type will be mailed to you and you will become a member of our Gallon Club when you have given 8 blood donations.

Although the blood supply today is very safe, autologous blood is the safest and most compatible blood for you.

Your physician may recommend autologous blood donation if there is a possibility that you may need a blood transfusion during or after your surgical procedure. Autologous (pronounced aw-TOL-o-gous) blood donation is when you donate and store your own blood prior to your surgery. During surgery, should you require a transfusion, the blood that you donated will be given back to you.

Umbilical cord blood is easily collected by your caregiver using the U-Cord® Collection Kit and instructions supplied by Cryo-Cell. The umbilical cord is clamped and cut in the same manner as it would be for normal delivery of the baby. Using a blood collection bag, cord blood is drawn from the umbilical cord. Cryo-Cell has found that the bag collection method is both easy to use as well as effective for volume optimization and low contamination rates.

Cryo-Cell has its own state-of-the-art laboratory in Oldsmar, Florida. Cord blood is processed and stored in this facility. Cryo-Cell is registered with the FDA, accredited by the AABB and ISO 9001:2000 certified. Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank specializes in cord blood processing and storage and is a pioneer in the commercial storage of separated cord blood cells.

Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank currently stores the cord blood cells in a compartmentalized cryobag. The bag includes a 20ml and 5ml sample, three segments for testing and are over-wrapped for added protection. A technique called "controlled-rate freezing" is used to prepare the cells for long-term storage. Then, the bag is housed in a protective cassette and placed in liquid nitrogen dewars for cryogenic preservation. Our storage conditions are monitored for security and temperature.