Donate your infants umbilical cord blood and save a life

Two years ago, while waiting to see her obstetrician, Nehal Patel noticed a woman stocking shelves with brochures about a private cord blood bank.

Curious, the Sandy Springs mother, then 26 weeks pregnant with her first child, asked some pointed questions about the bank. What was it? And why was it needed?

The woman politely explained that collecting and storing the blood from newborns’ umbilical cords, which contain stem cells, can be used to treat leukemia, lymphoma and more than 70 other diseases, potentially saving thousands of people each year.

Despite its life-saving potential, Tina Saadat, community engagement supervisor for the Southeast region of the nonprofit Be the Match, said that many women aren’t aware of the option to donate their infant’s cord blood to public banks.

The Patels weren’t but that has changed. Not only did Nehal and her husband donate their son’s umbilical cord blood, they plan to do it again in a few weeks when their second child is expected to arrive.

If you’re expecting, so can you. Read more about the Patels story and how you can save a life, too, at

http://www.myajc.com/news/lifestyles/health/your-babys-umbilical-cord-could-be-someone-elses-c/ngpsz/.