After a baby is born, the umbilical cord is cut and usually discarded as medical waste along with the placenta. But umbilical cord blood is rich with stem cells, which have been used to fight leukemia, lymphoma and some 80 other life-threatening diseases.
The Upstate Cord Blood Bank, which is one of only two public cord blood banks in New York state, collects and stores donated cord blood. Its medical director, Dr. Matthew Elkins, explains the process of donation on this week’s “HealthLink on Air.” Parents may like the idea of helping another individual who needs a stem cell transplant, but some of the donations are used for research. Find information at upstatecordbloodbank.org
Also on this week’s show, psychologist Will Sullivan discusses strategies for treating destructive behaviors in children. Tune in the Sunday, August 4 at 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. for more.
