Posted by
Yolilau
11 yrs ago
I chose to store umbilical cord for my first baby. Not sure if I should do it for my second.
Should I do it for the second just to make it fare?
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HK1
11 yrs ago
Hi Yolilau,
FYI - full disclosure, I work for SmartCells.
When you stored stem cells from cord blood for your first child there is a finite number of stem cells collected/stored (although if you also store cord TISSUE, you potentially have an unlimited supply of these kinds of stem cells). You can only be guaranteed 100% match for stem cells for the child from whom cord blood was taken, with varying % chances of match for siblings/immmediate family etc (I think it's around 75% chance but it depends if, genetically, they've inherited the same aspects of their parents as their sibling or not). To give your second child the "same" chance it therefore make sense to store for them too. Even if the second child happens to match the first child enough genetically for stem cells to be of use, as I mentioned earlier you only have a finite number to source from should you ever need to utlise the stem cells.
I didn't store for my first child (I had a lot of misinformation) but will definitely store for any and all future kids I have - even if I don't work at SmartCells by that time ;-)
I'm happy to answer any questions you have (face to face over the phone, or SKype), no obligation whatsoever. I just want to ensure us mother's are as well informed as possible, whatever decisions we make, so I'll be happy to help any way I can.
Jen
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Thank you for your info. I stored it with Cord life. Not sure whether I should store within the same company though
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HK1
11 yrs ago
Sorry - only just saw your reply. Still happy to answer any questions anyway. The key difference between us an other providers is we're the only regulated service provider which is fundamentally different in so many ways (essentially proper regulation gives much greater protection for you and your family's assets. In any case, very happy to answer any questions you may have. Hope to speak to you soon,
Jen.
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Yes, but I would like more resources from the same country or from sister companies if had to get a transplant *knock on wood*.
Do you get to store for free if you work there?
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I did my research on UCB and thought it was really expensive..but def a good investment to make
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Yes, Just saw on the daily apple today that cordblood saved a child's life!
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HKLEV
11 yrs ago
I also spent some time browsing the internet on this. There are a lot of differing views in terms of real usefulness, it is expensive, there is a lot of marketing by the storage companies but relatively few real examples of its succesful use and the chance of ever needing it is very low. A lot is based on possible future uses as research continues. My understanding is that red cross in hk also have a public ucb bank. If you use a private bank you are guaranteed use of your own ucb. But if the disease is genetic, these stored cells will have the same problem and you may still need to go to the public bank. My conclusion was that if you can afford it, as a parent it may give you extra peace of mind, but if not, the public bank is there.
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Definiately an extra peace of mind and you won't want to use it actually...Just like a life insurance. I also asked those who were interested in storing UCB the same question in why they would want to store. Many have come back and said they want extra protection for their baby.
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You are right, it is like an insurance.
But what are the chances of actually needing such an insurance?
I heard storing umbilical cord is quite expensive..can this be paid monthly instead?
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HKLEV - from my understanding, For blood related genetic diseases, there are higher chances of curing as cordblood has stem cells which are pure and potent and through transplant will have a higher chance of curing. To get it from public would require time, patience and a chance of not even receiving a match at all.
Def an expensive investment ..so its not actaully for everyone. I'd say do it if you got spare cash.
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Which company would you recommend?
Do they have some exhibition lectures that we can go to?
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There is the baby expo in August. Sign up with Cord life and get in for free
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I looked at the company COrdlife that you told me about. Apparently today had an internal talk at science park and people who went got a can of milk powder for free. Did you go?
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HK1
11 yrs ago
It's true guys, it's essentially a kind of insurance. The key difference between regular insurance though is if you don't have it you can pay later to replace your crashed car or broken vase...with this kind of insurance you only have one chance to store the pure stem cells from cord blood and tissue.
I garee with HKLEV - in an ideal world everyone would donate their cord blood and tissue as the possibility of life savings applications are too precious to simply throw away...and of course if you're able to store privately then that's a fabulous thing to do for your family. Unfortunately for many people who'd like to donate cord blood and tissue it simply isn't an option for them in HK (it's only facilitated at a few public hospitals at certain times of day/week and not allowed if you've lived in the UK in the 80s/90s etc etc etc).
Just FYI, Smart Cells can offer interest free payments on certain storage packages. My personal goal is simply to share as much information with parents-to-be so that they can make the best/most informed decision for them and their families. No obligation at all to use our service - you're most welcome to sit and have a chat via phone, Skype or face-to-face. Hope to speak with you soon.
PS we're sending out a newsletter this month with information about various baby classes and things that we'll hold at SmartSpace (in Smart Cells offices on Lyndhurst Terrace) as well as stem cell therapy news - it's not exclusively Smart Cells related stuff ;-) If you'd like to receive this feel free to PM me your email address and I'll be happy to include you.
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i don't think many people are educated about the donation of cordblood or umbilical cord. Where would they know this information>
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Usually from hospitals. They do lots of adverts in private clinics but not in public. That's how I learnt about cord life
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I saw many adverts about it...even when driving past tunnels.
I learnt my at baby expo
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