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When a baby is born, as joyous moment. However, most parents don't realize to save the baby's umbilical cord blood, which is often discarded. The cord blood contains stem cells, which can save the baby's life, family member or lives of other family members. In a laboratory, stem cells can be grown to produce red blood cells (Carries oxygen), white blood cells (Fighting infections) and platelets (Helps with blood clotting and healing). The process to save cord blood, takes two to four minutes, which is painless and noninvasive. The obstetrician, nurse or midwife, cleans four - eight inch area of the umbilical cord, with antiseptic solution. Then inserts the blood bag needle, into the umbilical vein. Blood flows into the bag, until it stops. Draining between three to four ounces of blood. Afterwards, blood bag is clamped, sealed and labeled. At a laboratory, the stem cells are extracted from the cord blood, placed into a reservoir, and cryogenically stored. Stem cells are accessible only by the family for future therapeutic use. The cord blood can be stored in a blood bank, for a yearly fee or donated to a public blood bank for free. Some parents store the baby's cord blood, which can cost for first year's fee $595 - $1835 plus annual storage fee $50 - $100. Some cord banks, offer payment or financing plan. The odds that the cord blood will utilized by child or family member with a serious health problem, which requires stem cell transplant, is one in 1,000 to one in 200,000. Donated cord blood, maybe us used to save someone's life. From a single donation, scientists are developing methods to grow more stems cells in the laboratory. Stem cells are used in the treatment of nearly forty-five life - threatening diseases, including Leukemia, other cancers, genetic disorders, blood diseases, and many immune system diseases. Research is being conducted, for use of stem cells treating heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and muscular dystrophy.

In 1988, a young boy in France, with anemia, first treated using umbilical cord stem cell transplant. The treatment was successful. Since the first umbilical cord stem cell transplant, there has been over 2500 cord blood transplants done, around the world. When stem cells are damaged or destroyed, during cancer treatment or other diseases, cells can be replaced, either matching either bone narrow or cord blood, during transplantation. When stem cells are transfused into a patient, the stem cells travel to bone marrow, were they

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