News
Win free cord blood banking this month – celebrating Frances’ survival
Kiwi families have the chance to win free cord blood banking for their babies this month – thanks to a special promotion celebrating the 7th anniversary of Frances Everall’s life saving cord blood re-infusion. Diagnosed with a stage 4 cancer when she was only 4, Frances’ outlook was very grim. But thank to the foresight…
Cord Blood Cure for Autism?
The worlds leading cord blood specialist, Dr Joanne Kurtzberg has started a study using a child’s own cord blood to treat autism. The $15 million project, at Duke University, has already enrolled 20 children. Read more about this exciting study which brings new hope to families worldwide http://corporate.dukemedicine.org/news_and_publications/news_office/news/15-million-award-to-go-toward-exploring-new-treatments-for-autism-other-brain-disorders
Melbourne trial to give babies back their own umbilical blood in the hope of preventing cerebral palsy.
Pre-clinical studies at the Ritchie Centre, part of the MIMR-PHI Institute of Medical Research, found that giving cord blood back to newborn animals in their first 12 hours of life, can help prevent brain damage caused by birth asphyxia. Last week, postdoctoral scientist Courtney McDonald told the Annual Congress of the Perinatal Society of Australia…
FDA-approved trial in the US to treat hearing loss with cord blood stem cells
Florida Childrens Hospital in Orlando is launching a trial that will use children’s stem cells to treat acquired sensorineural hearing loss. This groundbreaking phase 1 trial will be assesing whether a childs own cord blood can improve inner ear function, speech and language development. Sensioneural hearing loss is the most common type of hearing loss, with up…
Could premature babies benefit from their own cord blood stem cells?
Prematurity is the leading cause of newborn deaths (babies in the first four weeks of life) and the second leading cause of infant mortality (within the first year of life), after congenital abnormalities. It’s also the second leading cause of death after pneumonia in children under the age of five. A premature baby is a…
‘It’s cheaper than my TV and I never thought we’d use it’
Just hours after Bailey was born, her mother Rebecca noticed she was moving strangely. Despite initially being given the all clear, a brain scan was performed by the paediatric neurology team shortly after Bailey left hospital. The results showed that she had suffered a stroke in utero. The doctors believe that a piece of placenta had travelled through…
Big cost, little value? – Why 2.35 million parents have banked their children’s cord blood
Over 2 million parents world wide (and many thousands of kiwi families) have banked their babies cord blood. So why do they choose to pay for the service and what are the benefits? 1. Cord blood has been used to treat cancer for the past 25 years – in NZ and around the world. …
Joy after sorrow for family after Doha fire tragedy
A year after tragically losing their two-year-old triplets in a fire in a Doha mall, local family Martin and Jane Weekes welcomed their new babies into the world. Born on July 30, the twins were a very special addition to the family and their arrival was celebrated by us all. Proud father Martin described their…
New baby boy for Emily Sanson-Rejouis – three years after Haitian earthquake devastation
In 2010, New Zealander Emily Sanson-Rejouis and her husband Emmanuel were in Haiti working for the UN peace-keeping mission when they faced incomprehensible tragedy. A massive earthquake claimed the lives of over 300,000 people including Emily’s husband and two of their three young daughters, Kofie-Jade (5yrs) and Zenzie (3yrs). Thankfully little Alyahna (who was only one year old at the time)…
Little girl writes her name for the first time after cord blood reinfusion
Grace was a happy, healthy little girl – until complications during oral surgery at two years old caused a major brain injury. She was diagnosed with hypertonic cerebral palsy, which left her weak and barely able to move. Fortunately, Grace’s cord blood was stored at birth, so she was able to receive life-changing cord blood…