Umbilical cord blood contains stem cells, a coveted commodity in medicine. Stem cells from cord blood — particularly blood supplied by unrelated donors — have been used to treat diseases such as cancer and some genetic conditions. Those cells can be used to treat many of the same illnesses (multiple myeloma or leukemia, for example) as stem cells found in bone marrow, but they’re easier to use because they’re already banked and the tissue types of the donor and recipient don’t have to be as closely matched. Such treatments appear to be as successful as bone marrow transplants in some cases. Parents today are choosing to either bank cord blood for future use or donate their newborn’s cord blood so that ill children can take advantage of this life-saving blood.

An inspiring case is that of siblings Ashley and Kelvin J. of Maryland. These two children were both born with severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome that is usually terminal, since the body’s immune system cannot fend off the germs that would otherwise be harmless to a healthy body. Projected life span for children diagnosed with severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome (SCIDS) is approximately six months; however, both Ashley and Kelvin received a transplant of cord blood from anonymous donors whose cord blood was donated to public blood banks.

Another story that shows the success of using cord blood to treat potentially deadly diseases and disorders is that of brothers Blayke and Garrett L. of Los Angeles. Born three years apart, both boys developed a rare disorder known as lymphoproliferative disease. Blayke and Garrett’s immune systems were unable to successfully fight off germs commonly found in the world around them. Generally, at a very early age children diagnosed with lymphoproliferative disease develop mononucleosis, a potentially fatal disease that individuals with a working immune system commonly recover from. Again, thanks to the donation of cord blood from an anonymous donor, both boys are now living happy and healthy lives due to a blood transplant. If this option was not available, the young brothers’ only hope would be a painful and complicated bone marrow transplant that would not have had the same success rate as the cord blood transplant.

In addition to children using donated cord blood to survive the odds, more and more children are using their own cord blood to treat or cure diseases or medical disorders. These diseases are disorders may be present before birth or be developed after birth, but regardless the case, cord blood is an excellent tool in the fight to preserve life. A recent study at Duke University involved children diagnosed with Krabbe’s disease—a rare genetic disorder that affects the brain and attacks cognitive and motor functions.

These children are testament to the vitality of umbilical cord blood and should inspire parents to not let this life-saving blood go to waste. Whether you choose to store your child’s cord blood in a private blood bank or donate your child’s cord blood to a public blood bank so that it can potentially save the life of an Ashley, Kelvin, Blayke, or Garrett in the country, ensure that your child’s cord blood is used in the best possible manner. More and more, hospitals around the country are developing a system to ensure that all cord blood is either stored or donated—but not wasted.