CORD BLOOD

Mothers or Mothers to be can help Leukemia patients immensely by donating their new born babies Umbilical Cord Blood, this cord is generally discarded but it has been found that 100ml of cord blood contains marrow cells which is equivalent to around 5-10 litres of adult blood.  There is no risk to the Mother or the newborn baby at all. 

There are currently 3 hospitals in Sydney that are collecting Cord Blood, "Royal Hospital for Women at Randwick", Prince of Wales Private at Randwick", King George V at Camperdown". The proposed target for Cord Blood Units is 20,000 there are banks in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney along with other banks being setup through out the other states. The cost of banking a single cord blood is estimated at between $800-$900, the cost of banking 5000 cord bloods is estimated between $4 Million - $.5 Million, the target is 5000 cord bloods for each of the three Cord Blood Banks in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane along with a total of 5000 from the other states.

The current rate of collection is about 30%, this is due to things like contamination, clotting, premature birth, emergency operations etc.
Unfortunately the Australian Government does not fund this cause so the Australian Cord Blood Bank relies on public donations and fund raising events to keep this service going so that people that suffer from Leukemia, Immune Diorders, Anacmias, Lymphoma or Generic Disorders have a second chance at life.

For further information on donation of Cord Blood or Funds to support the Foundation, please contact Professor M. R. Vowels (Director) or Mrs. Lorraine Williams (Chairperson) Phone 61 2 93821789

 

So life can begin twice.