Monday, September 28, 2009

Stem cell banking - Part 2 - How to go about it ?

Step 1  : Read about stem cells and understand the need and how it can be used

Step 2 : Find out the players in the field in your area

Step 3 : Call them up to fix up an appointment and they will send a representative home for explaining everything to you and they will take you through a presentation with all information about stem cells.

Cost & Payment Options
The representative would also explain to you about the various price aspects. The cost is basically divided into a one time harvesting fee (for extracting stem cells from the cord blood) and storage fee. The storage fee could be paid every year or could be paid up front for 20 years or so. They would store the stem cells for us as long as we pay the storage fees. In addition to this, there is also an EMI option. Note: These terms are pertinent to Lifecell. However, I am not sure about other bankers

Step 4 : Once you opt for preserving your baby's stem cells, you need to fill out certain forms and make the payment based on the pricing plan you choose.

Step 5 : On payment, you will receive the cord blood collection kit along with the instruction manual. Read the instructions carefully and keep the gel packs in the freezer immediately. You need to take the whole kit and the gel packs from the refrigerator along with you to the hospital while going for delivery. On reaching the hospital. again keep the gel packs in the refrigerator.

Step 6 : Discuss with your doctor regarding your plans well in advance as he/she needs to know about this.

Step 7: Keep the contact numbers safely and inform the bank before you head for the hospital. They will send a representative to the hospital you are headed to.

Step 8 : After delivery, the cord blood sample taken from the umbilical cord will be sent to the laboratory and various tests will be taken to confirm it is fit for processing. Once the stem cells are extracted, the preservation certificate will be sent to you. Preserve the certificate carefully.




8 comments:

Priya said...

Lavs,Excellent posts...Wealth of information!!Good that you did that for Saathvi..we were asked about it at EVK during Sahaana's delivery but somehow we were n't keen then,now a recent article how a sibling's stem cell actually saved the elder sibling from a life threatening disease stunned us and right at this time I got to read your post as well. Good Job!

Lavanya Sriram said...

@Priya : Yes. A friend of mine told me about this when I was pregnant and from the moment I read about it, there was no turning back for us. I, in fact, make it a point to tell my lady friends and acquaintances, when I know they are pregnant. And then, now, it occurred to me to write a post on it.

Satish N said...

Cha, 1977 la mattum indha concept irundhurundhaa, naa kooda ippo andha stem cells vechu en moolaya valarthurukkalaam ... ippadi missaaiduche ... (Vada poche ... "Pokiri" vadivelu stylil padikkavum)

Sh@s said...

Good post. Plz write more on stem cell and the need for its preservation. Would like to have more information on it.

Swapna Raghu Sanand said...

It's an informative post. I had been really interested to know more about it but I found that at the time the only providers were charging in lakhs for it. And, I couldn't afford it. I wish that weren't the case and always feel bad that I missed the opportunity. Your post was fantastic. I am very glad that you were able to do it for your child. I also wish more parents have that choice.

Lavanya Sriram said...

@Satish : yenna pannaalum ivalo vayasukkapram, nammma moolailaam valaraadhu :)

@Shas : Thank you for dropping by. Will try to compile more information and do another post

@swapna : 2 years back it cost me around 75k for it. But that was because I had opted for the whole package with storage of 21 years. The cost would have been lot less if I had opted for yearly storage fees. May be now, it has reduced from what I paid. Still, its still not affordable by everyone. Hopefully, with technology improving and more stem cell therapies being performed, the cost should come down in the future which will benefit more people.

rita said...

Stem Cell storage is today's revolutionary idea. To get best return return on money spent by you, ask for a controlled rate freezer that has a long shelf life such as Princetoncryo's Control Rate Freezer. Their low-cost solution for Planer controlled rate freezer maintenance uses certified OEM parts and recalibration to keep your critical cryopreservation applications functioning at ideal conditions.

http://www.princetoncryo.com/control-rate-freezer.html

Lavanya Sriram said...

@Rita : Welcome here and thank you for the information. will check it out for sure.