A Father’s Story: Cord Blood Saved His Son’s Life

​Erik Praskins spoke about his son’s battle with leukemia at the Arizona Cord Blood Conference 2017 held in Phoenix, Arizona. His story is not unique yet, it is hard for many of us to imagine. Watch Erik tell his story below. . .

​Children are sometimes described as “angels among us.” Indeed, every parent has felt that emotional moment of amazement looking into their child’s eyes or watching them discover something new in the world. Everytime they walk in the room, our perspective on the world changes. In their innocence, we are reminded of all that is good in the world. Perhaps, this is why we are always so shocked and saddened to hear about children fighting cancer? It seems so unjust (and it is).

According to the American Cancer Society (source: www.cancer.org), leukemia is the most common cancer in children and teens. Within the leukemia category, the most common are acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Although 5-year survival rates have increased, each year more than 2,000 children under age 19 die from cancer in the United States alone (source: www.childrenscancer.org).
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In a recent talk at the Arizona Cord Blood Conference, Erik Praskins spoke openly about how his son’s life was saved thanks to a generous cord blood donation from a family he will probably never meet. His son, Dylan, was only 2 months old when he was diagnosed with leukemia, specifically ALL. His case was very serious. He was considered high-risk and required a stem cell transplant immediately. When a bone marrow donor could not be found, doctors turned to cord blood. Cord blood is more easily matched than bone marrow. It is also readily available if stored at birth. Recent studies have also suggested that a cord blood transplant for high-risk patients results in fewer cases of relapse (source: www.fredhutch.org).

​Dylan was lucky in so many ways. His parents and doctors were quick to identify the cancer. They worked tirelessly to find an appropriate treatment for him. Little did they know on day one of this battle, that it would be the birth of another child somewhere in the world who would give Dylan a second chance. That child’s family literally gave life twice by donating their child’s cord blood instead of simply throwing it away. For this, Dylan’s family is eternally grateful. Just watch Erik’s face at the end of this video and you will see the gratitude spill over.

Perhaps their are angels among us?

​Learn more about Dylan’s story here.

Save the Cord Foundation is proud to work with and support public cord blood donation programs around the world. We are especially proud of our work with the Arizona Public Cord Blood Program in our home state.
Find out how you can donate to this amazing public program
that helps patients, like Dylan, in Arizona and across the globe.