Storing stem cells of a newborn baby is like giving him a self-repair kit

Every now and then, I hear friends talk about stem cells. I had no inkling what it was about and why some people paid money to have their stem cells to be stored in special storage banks. Anyway, I was not interested to know.

However, last December, I overheard my brother-in-law telling his family members that he had signed up for Stemlife as his gift of life for his unborn child.

As I was pregnant then, I suddenly became interested and wanted to give such a precious gift to my baby too. So I asked him many questions.

He was unable to answer some of them but he stressed that the advanced technology would help the child in the event that he or she developed some medical conditions in future.

Biology lesson

My distinction in Biology became handy. I learnt about the cell reproduction process in school. Cells form into tissues, tissue into muscles and muscles into organs. So if there is injury to tissue, bone, muscle or organ, new cells are required for healing and recovery. A faster way to recover is to transplant cells, preferably one’s own cells, into the affected part.

If we store our cells now, they will be available in times of need in future. So it is about storing cord blood (sample of blood taken from a newborn baby’s umbilical cord ) and cord tissue available in the umbilical cord that connects the baby to the mother while it is in the womb. They are stored in a special high-tech storage bank and is preserved for a lifetime.

What attracted me is the fact that both the blood and tissue are rich in many types of cells, including stem cells that may assist in treating 80 diseases and medical conditions including stroke, heart failure, liver failure, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, knee cartilage damage, leukaemia, lymphoma and thalassaemia, and injuries such as bone cartilage damage.

Life is precious

Leukaemia, lymphoma and thalassaemia, are dreaded diseases which have claimed the young lives of a few of my friends’ siblings.

After finding out that there is only one chance to store the cord blood and tissue and that is immediately at birth, I quickly contacted a consultant, Cynthina Low for a meeting to give me more details on the benefits and procedure.

A biology major, she answered all my questions. She explained that when my baby was due for delivery, I must bring along the cord blood collection kit which she would issue to me later.

I was worried that the process of collecting the umbilical cord and cord blood during my childbirth would be stressful and disruptive but she assured me that it was painless and harmless.

The kit with the contents would then be transported to the stem cell bank’s laboratory where stem cells would be harvested from the cord lining immediately and then preserved in a tightly-controlled and highly-hygienic environment in the facility.

Self-repair kit

The preserved stem cells will be a self-repair kit for my child and potentially, my other family members including myself.

The outstanding advantage of using one’s own stem cells for treating one’s disease is that the body will readily accept its own cells.

In many instances, the stem cells of a child were successful in treating its sibling. However, it is advisable to store the stem cells of each newborn baby.

The fee for cord blood and tissue banking is almost the same as the total bill of childbirth in a private hospital.

It did not take me long to decide to subscribe to this state-of-the-art bio-technology. This service underwrites or at least, cushions the potentially huge medical costs of treating certain diseases.

I pray that my child will be healthy throughout her life and will not make use of the stored stem cells. It is like taking up medical or personal accidental insurance and not hoping to make a claim.

During this Christmas season, we are reminded to be thankful for our gift of life. As only expectant mothers are eligible to give this gift of life to their unborn babies, I am glad I did that last Christmas.

Chermaine Poo is a chartered accountant turned actress, TV host, emcee and columnist. Follow her on www.chermainepoo.com, Facebook.com/ChermainePoo, and Instagram.com/ChermainePoo or drop her an email at [e-mail]