Brother's a Lifeline: Stem cells boosting sickle cell patients

Richmond Times-Dispatch ^ | 7/29/06 | Tammie Smith

[wagglebee]

Wearing a T-shirt with "Girls Rock" emblazoned across the chest, Denise Mallory asserts that she has a little bit of boy in her.

"I have boy's blood," said the 8-year-old at her family's home in Chester. "Diesel gave me his blood to save me."

Diesel is the nickname for her little brother, Dennis Jr., 4. When he was born, his parents saved the blood from his umbilical cord and had it stored away in a cord blood bank in Oakland, Calif. They did so because Denise has sickle cell anemia, and her parents knew the day could come when a stem-cell transplant might be needed to save her life.

Dennis Jr. was tested before birth and shown to be free of sickle cell and also a good transplant match for Denise.

That critical time came during the past year as Denise suffered two severe episodes of pneumonia. Doctors told her parents she would not survive a third and was at risk of having a stroke.

On May 19, Denise underwent a stem-cell transplant at VCU Medical Center using the umbilical cord blood saved from her brother. She was the third sickle cell patient to undergo the procedure at VCU. The other two patients, both transplanted within the past year, are also doing well, hospital officials say.

[wagglebee]

And not embryos were slaughtered to accomplish this.

[wagglebee]

Ping.

[Arpege92]

A good friend of mine died from this horrible disease back in March of 2000 leaving four young children behind. I'm happy to see such medical break through's.

[isthisnickcool]

I've been posting here on and off for the past few years about how important it is for parents to harvest and store the cord blood. It can be an insurance policy that is priceless if it's ever needed.

I started posting about cord blood here after seeing it keep my friend alive for a little longer.

Trust me, you don't want to watch a child die in the manner Abi did. We were just friends of her family and it was so sad. Her mother is a saint. Abi was tougher than the toughest marine and fought for life until her last breath. It's been almost 4 years since her death and it's still a hard thing to think about.

[VOA]

I've been posting here on and off for the past few years about how important
it is for parents to harvest and store the cord blood.

You'll be happy to know that The Los Angeles Times wrote a major
hit piece on cord blood storage last year. (front-page of a Sunday edition).
It included the wailing of a lawyer from Irvine, CA that was trying
to drum up clients for a class-action suit, based on over-promises of
the cord blood banks.
He said he'd just not been able to find any clients.

Remember, The Los Angeles Times (and the MSM) don't have an agenda!

[wagglebee]

FYI Ping.

[SuziQ]

He said he'd just not been able to find any clients.

*snicker*

[8mmMauser]

Pinged from Terri JULY Dailies

8mm