Dear editor,

This Mother’s Day, I’d like to thank all the expectant mothers who plan to donate their baby’s umbilical cord blood to a public cord blood bank, such as San Diego Cord Blood Bank.

Your compassion means that someone with a life-threatening disease may get a second chance at life. Donated cord blood that meets the requirements can be listed on the “Be The Match” registry and made available to anyone who needs a blood stem cell transplant.

Cord blood, usually disposed of after birth, is rich in blood-forming cells and can be used to help treat more than 70 different diseases, including leukemia and other blood cancers. Cord blood donations are especially needed from African-American and Asian donors, as patients within these communities have difficulty finding donor matches.

There is no cost to donate to a public cord blood bank, and donation is safe for moms and babies. Cord blood is collected right after birth and does not change the labor or delivery.

There is no greater gift than the gift of life. Since its inception, the San Diego Cord Blood Bank has banked 2,100 cord blood units from generous moms in San Diego and surrounding areas and shipped 149 units for transplants, but more donations are needed to help save more lives. Visit BeTheMatch.org/cord to learn more.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Robert J. Tressler
Vice President, Cell Biology and Therapy
San Diego Blood Bank