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06-5-2009 - Cord Blood: To store or not to store?

My mood while writing this blog: Keen to make the right choice

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I've been thinking for a while about the option of collecting and storing the babies' umbilical cord blood, but it's a decision that I've delayed making, for a number of reasons.

Firstly, considering this option means considering the prospect that these babies, or perhaps one of my other children, may be struck by a potentially life threatening illness, like cancer, a serious blood disorder or some sort of immune deficiency. This is an incredibly confronting thought: one which I have obviously avoided to date.

Secondly, I was also aware that here in Australia, cord blood collection and storage can only be arranged through private companies and incurs a high cost outlay. This is something that is also confronting, given that we have just halved our income (through my taking an extended maternity leave) and effectively doubled our child rearing costs for the next 18 years (at least)!

In any case, I will be 35 weeks through this pregnancy tomorrow and, unless I make a decision on this issue now, the decision will be made for me. (The babies will come and I will not have made arrangements for cord blood collection and storage.) So.... Here is the issue.

In recent scientific advancements, umbilical cord blood has emerged as a viable source of haematopoietic stem cells (self-renewing cells that can re-populate a blood lineage) for transplantation. It has certain biological properties that mean that its cells will grow or 'engraft' in most patients and result in reconstitution of the immune cells.

Quite simply put, if one of the babies becomes gravely ill (eg with Leukemia, Hodgkin's Disease or some other type of blood disorder), their best chance of recovery is treatment with their own cord blood. Pure match, great source of stem cells. It would eliminate the need to find a bone marrow donor match; decrease delays in treatment and risk rejection of those donor cells (cord blood or bone marrow).

In addition, there is evidence to suggest that in the future, cord blood stem cells may be used in the treatment of other illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's Disease, Diabetes, Heart or Liver Disease and spinal cord injury. Wow.

Yesterday, I finally made the call to a range of private companies who collect and store umbilical cord blood. The sad and confronting truth? It all comes down to money.

Most of the companies, in the initial contract, collect, test and store the cord blood for the next 18 years. In rough figures, this is going to cost me about AUD 4800 for twins (equivalent about US $3500). This seems like a massive outlay - and is - but if I ammortise the expense over the next 18 years, it's only a couple of hundred dollars of year. A couple of hundred dollars as an 'insurance policy' for the health and well being of my babies, should the worst occur. Is there too great a price for that?

Sadly, the answer could may well be yes. At this stage, $4800 is too great a cost and we just cannot afford it. But how can this be the right decision??

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