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ILLINOIS: Legalized Cord Blood Donations Now Providing Answers To Many Diseases Thursday, January 08, 2004 - 11:51 a.m. PRINCETON -- Healthcare officials at Perry Memorial Hospital and other hospitals across the state are looking for treasure in something that used to be thrown in the trash. Workers are collecting umbilical cord blood. Illinois became the first state in the nation to mandate that doctors and hospitals offer pregnant mothers the option to donate umbilical cord blood when House Bill 1843 was signed into law on July 10 last year. "Stem cells are like immature, infant cells that can specialize and go and become other cells," said Lynne Hansen, a registered nurse in the Woman's Health Care Department of Perry Memorial Hospital. "Cord blood is just filled with stem cells that can be used for patients who need bone marrow transplants." Until the system is fully up and running, Hansen said women in labor are approached by a hospital staff member when they come into the obstetrics unit. "After the first couple months, they'll be given a packet in the doctors' offices at 28-30 weeks," Hansen said. "They'll give their consent to the cord blood bank, and then they'll get the kits and it will be a much smoother process." If the mother agrees to the donation, the nurse fills an intravenous bag during the contractions after the baby is born and the cord has been cut. The bag is then sent via Federal Express to Cryobanks International, in Altamonte Springs, Fla. The service is free for both the mothers and the hospital. "They need to receive it within 24 hours, and it gets processed and stored within 48, so time is of the essence," said Connie Doran, director of marketing at PMH said. The cord blood can then be used in two different ways. The process collects 4 to 6 ounces, which Doran said reconstitutes to bone marrow for a child up to 90 pounds. Bone marrow transplants are used to treat a wide list of diseases ranging from leukemia to lymphoma to sickle cell disease. Using stem cells from umbilical cord blood can be quicker than looking for a living donor and results in less rejection. It also eliminates the painful bone marrow donation procedure. There is also research being done with the stem cells. "If a donation is made and there is not enough stem cells, they use them for research," Hansen said. "It's really nice that we know if there's not enough for a transplant it still can be used for research." Research is being done on stem cells to cure diseases ranging from Parkinson's disease to Alzheimer's and perhaps even spinal cord injuries. "The more the research develops, the more uses they find for it," Hansen said. One local resident who could possibly benefit from stem cell research in the future is Fran Aimone of rural Granville. Aimone was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease nearly five years ago, and is still in the early stages of the illness. "I'm glad they're doing this," he said. "What I keep hoping for is if I get to that point where I need more help, they will have found something." Hansen and Doran would like to correct a misconception people may have about umbilical cord blood. Stem cells gathered from cord blood are not any part of a baby. Other sources of stem cells are aborted fetuses, which has generated controversy and debate. There has been no debate over the umbilical cord because it's usually thrown away after birth. "It's actually medical waste," Doran said. "This is the part that's going to be disposed of, and instead it can be used in research and curing disease." Hansen said the hospital has already had a couple of patients who have donated since Jan. 1. "They felt very good about what they were doing," she said. "It was like they were giving something back and I think that was really important to them." Not everyone can or should donate her cord blood. Women with a history of certain diseases such as HIV or Hepatitis B are not eligible to donate. Other women should arrange to store their cord blood for possible future use. Hansen stores her children's cord blood because of her and her husband's medical history. "You couldn't do both," Hansen said. "There are recommendations for moms, such as if a parent had another child with some kind of cancer, that would definitely be a time to consider saving their own." The odds of that necessity are small as Doran said the chance of people needing to use their own cord blood is 1 in 200,000. Although the initial responsibility will shift to the doctors' offices, Hansen said it will still be definitely the hospitals' responsibility. "I teach prepared childbirth classes and it's something we're definitely going to be talking about," she said. "We're going to make sure that everybody gets offered what they're supposed to. It's a part of our education to our patients." SOURCE: Bureau County Republican, IL http://www.bcrnews.com/articles/2004/01/08/news/news4.txt * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn