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  • Home
  • Step-by-Step
  • LEARN
    • Cord Blood Facts
    • Types of stem cells
    • Diseases Treated >
      • Regenerative Medicine: Cord Blood is Critical
      • Participate in a Cord Blood Clinical Trial
    • Cord Blood FAQs
    • Cord Blood News >
      • RESEARCH
      • PROJECTS and EVENTS
      • RESOURCES
    • Video Gallery
    • Find a Cord Blood Bank
  • Get Involved
    • ABOUT US >
      • Scientific Advisory Board
      • Inspiring Partners
      • FACT Allied Learning Center
    • Register for Newsletter
    • Our Work in Action >
      • World Cord Blood Day 2018 >
        • World Cord Blood Day 2017
      • Arizona Public Cord Blood Program
      • Share the Science
      • NEXT GENERATION: Cord Blood
      • Cord Blood Conferences & Workshops
      • World Cancer Day
    • Cord Blood Education Champions
    • Internship Program at University of Arizona
    • Start a Cord Blood Donation Program
    • Contact Us
  • DONATE
  • Spanish Version
    • Step-by-Step Spanish
    • APRENDER >
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      • Ensayos Clinicos
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      • Sangre del Cordón Umbilical en Arizona 2018
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Meet Keri Wiese: Cancer Survivor and Cord Blood Transplant Recipient

1/31/2019

 
​The following interview with Keri Weise is part of our on-going educational series called “#WeCanICan: Beat Cancer with Cord Blood” in support of World Cancer Day which is celebrated every year on February 4th. 
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Keri is living proof of cord blood’s ability to successfully treat cancer. ​

Save the Cord Foundation:  When were you first diagnosed with cancer and what type of cancer was it?  

Keri:  I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) on August 5th, 2014.  I had gone into the urgent care clinic because I knew I was anemic, and I had tickets to a Paul McCartney show that night.  I didn't think I was going to be well enough to attend, so I went in to clinic hoping they could give me a shot of iron, or something.  Two days later after "seeing some funny cells in my blood," I went in for a bone marrow biopsy and the doctor said - "well, we are here to find out what kind of cancer you have."  I was shocked to say the least.  I went home and prayed that I would at least have a chance to fight.  I went in the next day and found out I had ALL, which is pretty rare in adults, and was admitted immediately after my appointment and started treatment that day.
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Save the Cord Foundation is proud to be an Official Participant in World Cancer Day, representing the cord blood community at large. 

The purpose of this global event is to raise awareness about how to prevent, detect and treat cancer. It is designed to bring together not just members of the public, but also medical professionals.  One of the key objectives of this event is to build awareness and correct misunderstandings or myths about cancer. 

“Increased awareness and accurate information and knowledge can empower all of us to recognize early warning signs, make informed choices about our health and counter our own fears and misconceptions about cancer.”  Source:  World Cancer Day 2019 : www.worldcancerday.org/keyissues
​  
Our hope is that after reading Keri’s story today, you will understand the very real medical value of cord blood stem cells and their unique ability to fight 80+ life-threatening diseases including leukemia, lymphoma and sickle cell anemia. We hope you will share what you learn with others. In the spirit of World Cancer Day, let’s build awareness and share accurate information about cord blood. Let’s empower ourselves and others with Keri’s inspirational story.

#IAmAndIWill  #WorldCancerDay
Save the Cord Foundation:  Why was cord blood offered as a treatment choice for you?  Were you participating in a clinical trial?
​

Keri:  I fortunately had a lot of matches, both cord blood and bone marrow.  Looking back, I can see that they were trying from the start to get me to transplant, because 1) I was relatively healthy (minus the cancer), 2) I responded very well to treatment, and 3) my gene that had mutated and grown had transformed back to normal and that was a good prognostic indicator.  My doctors at the University of Minnesota ultimately chose a perfectly matched 6/6 cord blood unit for my transplant.  I was also given the opportunity to participate in a clinical trial but, in my case, this required switching my donor about a week before I was scheduled for transplant to a 4/6 match that was expanded, as part of the clinical trial.  But, I was uncomfortable with the lower matching, so I asked to be switched back to the 6/6.  I asked why they wanted to switch to the 4/6 match and why they had chosen that cord, and they simply replied that the algorithm they wrote had changed.  I'm glad I went with that 6/6 match, because I am here today and living life.
Save the Cord Foundation:  How was your cord blood transplant different from your experience with chemo and other methods of treatment?

Keri:  Transplant was very much the same, but different in intensity than my previous three rounds of chemo.  I had three rounds of Hyper CVAD and 6 rounds of intrathecal chemo before transplant that got me into complete remission.  Most of the same chemo I had previously were what I received before transplant, although my doctor called this dosage an "atomic bomb" of chemo.  I also had eight rounds of total body radiation before the transplant.  All of this combined completely wiped out my own immune system.  Because of the much higher doses, I was a lot sicker after.  For every round of treatment and for transplant, I had to be hospitalized because I had zero white cell count.  I was in the hospital around 100 days between August - December 2014.  It all happened very quickly.  I had my transplant only four months after diagnosis.
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Save the Cord Foundation:  How did you feel (mentally, emotionally, physically) before and after the cord transplant?

Keri:  Before transplant, I was very scared, nervous and stressed out, but also confident that I would make it through.  I had some family members who weren't sure this was the best route for me.  I even had some doctors who disagreed that this was my best chance and best course of treatment.  I was scared that the cord wouldn't "take," that my body would reject it.  But I really didn't have a whole lot of time to sit around and think about it, because it all happened very fast.  I felt ok physically, considering all that had happened in the months leading up to transplant.  At the same time, I was very hopeful and optimistic.  I had a feeling that had been there since diagnosis that I was going to be alright. 
​
With the support of my wonderful family, friends, and doctors, I made it through.  There were times I wasn't sure I was going to make it.  The first few weeks after transplant were really rough - I had engraftment syndrome and severe mucositis.  But once my body accepted my donor cells and started making blood and platelets and white cells, I started feeling better.  I got out of the hospital at Day +21 and haven't been back since (knock on wood).  It has not been an easy road.  I often have to remind myself that transplant is not a procedure, it's a process.  I've had several setbacks including sepsis, acute graft vs host disease (GvHD) and now chronic GvHD, but I am proud to be here and to have survived.  I am just over four years out from transplant and have just recently started to feel better and a little more like my old self.  I have chronic GvHD in my mouth, skin, and fascia that I'm currently being treated for.  I'm not sure I would be here today without the love and support of my family and friends, and most certainly without all the wonderful doctors and nurses who have treated me over the years.  My cord blood donor saved my life!  I am thankful every, single, day.
Save the Cord Foundation:  What is your advice to those currently diagnosed with cancer?

​Keri:  My advice would be to listen to your doctors and trust that the path they put you on is the right one.  But it is also very important to be your own advocate, and to fight for what you think is right and best for you.  Remember to take care of yourself by keeping moving when you feel up to it and asking for help when you need it.  My mantra has been throughout - this too shall pass.
Save the Cord Foundation:  What is your advice to parents and doctors who are skeptical about cord blood?

​Keri:  My advice would be to educate yourself and learn about all the lives that cord blood can save!  I am here today because a mom donated the cord of her son, who was born somewhere in the Central Time Zone in 2012.  There's a mom and son out there that literally saved my life because they donated their cord blood!  Every day I am thankful for them and for the second chance at life that they've given me.

Cord blood is generally considered medical waste, a.k.a garbage, but it literally saved my life!  I cannot ever thank the people out there enough that have chosen to donate their cords. 
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Our team at Save the Cord Foundation wishes to thank Keri for sharing her amazing story with our readers.

​Please share her story with others and let’s encourage every expectant parent to consider how they will #SaveTheCord.


Here are the main points to remember:
  1. Donated cord blood is used everyday to treat 80+ life-threatening diseases including many cancers, like ALL.
  2. Privately stored cord blood from a healthy individual may be used to treat a sick family member or perhaps for themselves under certain circumstances.
  3. However, cord blood that is thrown away as medical waste helps no one and will be gone forever.

Educating parents is only part of the challenge. We must also educate health professionals and key decision makers in government. Public donation programs are too few and far between. The majority of hospitals do not have a donation program for cord blood. Yet, when you hear a story like Keri’s, you wonder why? Why is there not a public donation program in every hospital? Good question!  The answer is often simple – awareness. Lack of awareness leads to lack of interest and, of course, lack of funding. If we want to win the battle against cancer, we need to invest in more cord blood donation programs and encourage hybrid banks who can help fill the gaps.
​
Learn more about your options for saving cord blood. Follow our Step-by-Step cord blood guide for parents which looks at both donation and private storage options. 

Meet other cancer survivors from our #WeCanICan: Beat Cancer with Cord Blood series: 

  • Diane Paradise: Game Over Hodgkin’s Lymphoma​

  • George Cannette: Stronger Than a Hurricane!

  • Deb Martell: Mother of Four, Won the Battle Against Breast Cancer and Leukemia

  • Theresa Camilleri:  Cord Blood Used for Bone Marrow Transplant to Treat MDS
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Cord Blood Myths Busted!

1/16/2019

 
Let's bust some cord blood myths!!! The experts have spoken! Here is your chance to learn the facts on this life-saving medical resource. Discover our new educational video series: Cord Blood Myths - BUSTED!
Save the Cord Foundation and Cord Blood Association (CBA) have come together for an exclusive educational project designed to dispel some of the most common myths or misunderstandings regarding cord blood.  Working as a team, we interviewed key leaders and experts in the cord blood industry and several cord blood transplant recipients. The questions were collected and curated by CBA. The interviews were led by Charis Ober, Executive Director of Save the Cord Foundation, during the inaugral Cord Blood Connect meeting in Miami, Florida. To date, we have produced 9 videos highlighting a selection of the common cord blood myths provided by CBA. 

We recommend you begin exploring this educational series by watching this interview with Dr. Colleen Delaney and her patient, Gregg Gordon. 
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Watch the entire series:
​"Cord Blood Myths - BUSTED!"


  • Learn and share with a friend.
  • Help stop the spread of misinformation regarding this life-saving medical resource.​
  • You could save a life!
Our sincere thanks to Nicole Valcic for lending us her expertise in video editing. 
Unfortunately, there are many cord blood myths that have persisted over the years. Often these myths are born out of good intentions but not based on any real proof. For example, many people will tell you that you can donate cord blood at any hospital. This is simply not true. True public donation programs are few and far between. This is often due to logistics, costs for the hospital and/or lack of awareness. It is a myth that you can donate at any hospital.

Below is the full list of myths collected by the members of Cord Blood Association.  Each of these myths have been dispelled by the CBA team of experts. To get the FACTS on these cord blood myths, we encourage you to visit to the CBA website and explore our section dedicated to frequently asked questions about cord blood.

Myth:  Cord blood is a medical waste that has no value.

Myth:  Cord blood collection could affect or harm my baby.

Myth:  Expecting parents have up until the time of the baby’s delivery to decide to collect or donate cord blood.

Myth:  Cord blood can be donated at almost any hospital.

Myth:  Cord blood stored in a family bank can be used for treating anyone in the family.

Myth:  There is little reason to store cord blood since stem cells can be accessed from other sources, such as bone marrow.

Myth:  Cord blood treatments are experimental.

Myth:  When clamping of the umbilical cord is delayed, there aren’t enough stem cells left in the cord to make storage or donation worthwhile.

Myth:  I can donate my baby’s cord blood to a public bank if I no longer want to store it privately.

Myth:  Cord blood transplantation is limited to the treatment of hematologic or blood diseases.

Myth:  Cord blood therapies are limited to the treatment of children.

Myth:  Stored cord blood has a limited “shelf-life.”

Myth:  If I need stem cells from a public bank, they are free.

Myth:  Family cord blood banks have few quality standards.

Myth:  Private family banking only makes sense if there is a history of blood diseases in the family.

Myth:  Since I banked cord blood for my first child, I don’t need to store cord blood for the second child.

Myth:  If I choose to save cord blood for my child at birth, I do not need to also save cord tissue.

Myth:  Cord blood stem cells when transplanted can cause a malignancy in the recipient.

​Myth:  A unit of cord blood is a bag of stem cells.
​

Myth:  If someone in my family needs a cord blood transplant, they can access a matched unit in a public bank only if I donated my baby’s cord blood to a public bank.

Share the Science with Ed Brindle: "Proper Lab Sanitization for the Cord Blood Processing Laboratory"

6/6/2018

 
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Save the Cord Foundation and Mediware, Inc. are proud to welcome Ed Brindle for our next edition of Share the Science on June 26th, 2018. Share the Science is a free webinar series focused on the cord blood industry and the latest research in this field.  As always, we invite both health professionals and the general public to join us for this unique online educational series.
Collecting cord blood is simple. However, just like the collection of organs for transplant there are several rules that must be followed in order to ensure the quality and safety of the collection. When these criteria are not met, it can put patients at risk, make the collection useless or potentially destroy the collection. Keeping the cord blood processing laboratory clean, sanitized, and disinfected is crucial to product quality and safety. Although there is industry guidance for cleaning procedures, laboratory practices often vary depending on location, regulatory requirements, product type, and facility design. In addition, cord blood banks must always have an eye on the future and the potential new applications for cord blood stem cells in regenerative medicine, immunotherapy, expansion, etc. These future applications will have new requirements, yet the cord blood to be used for those applications is probably being collected now. Hence, there is a constant need to be one step ahead of the requirements and to think strategically about your cord blood bank's collection processing in the laboratory.

How can your cord blood bank be prepared for the new demands of the industry? Imagine the disappointment if one of your clients who required their collection in the future for one of these new therapies was refused simply because the processing did not meet requirements. Are you providing the best in cord blood processing for your clients and potential patients? 

In this edition of Share the Science, we welcome Ed Brindle who is Director of Quality and Regulatory Affairs for Insception Lifebank, co-chair of both the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) standards committee and the Cord Blood Processing Standards’ Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) committee. He will highlight the best practices used by successful cord blood processing laboratories and illustrates how you can implement them at your facility. The discussion will also look to the future and consider the implications of potential advances in cord research on your lab's cord blood collection criteria and processing. 

As an attendee of this webinar, you will also have an opportunity to ask questions directly to Mr. Brindle. 
Highlights of this webinar will include:
  • Reviewing current practices of cord blood processing
  • Previewing future methods in cord blood collection and processing
  • Demonstrating accreditation and regulatory requirements
  • Examining ways to implement, modify, or improve upon current cleaning, and sanitization and disinfection methods
Share the Science
with
Ed BRINDLE


“How to Ensure Proper Lab Sanitization for
Cord Blood Processing Laboratory”


Tuesday, June 26th, 2018 2pm CST

​Free to register. Open to the public.
Register here for Share the Science with Ed Brindle
Click here to register for this webinar with Ed Brindle.

About the Speaker

This informative session is presented by Ed Brindle. With more than 20 years combined experience in clinical laboratory sciences and cellular therapies both in United Kingdom and Canada, Mr. Brindle is the Director of Quality and Regulatory Affairs for Insception Lifebank. Mr. Brindle is also co-chair of both the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) standards committee and the Cord Blood Processing Standards’ Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) committee.

Mr. Brindle is a Qualified NetCord FACT Cord Blood Processing Inspector and actively carries out inspections of International FACT Accredited Cord Blood Banks for compliance to current NetCord FACT Standards. He is also an active member of the Cord Blood Processing standards committee. In addition, Mr. Brindle is active as a Cord Blood and CT assessor with the AABB. He routinely carries out the assessment of various National and International Cell therapy facilities to ensure compliance with the current AABB Cellular Therapy Standards.​
* * *

​We wish to thank Ed Brindle for volunteering his time to speak on
Share the Science and sharing his valuable insight on cord blood collection processing.
We also wish to thank our generous sponsors, Mediware Inc., who continue
to support cord blood education through our “Share the Science” series.
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Explore the Share the Science Archive:

Share the Science continues to be a popular series within the cord blood community and beyond. We welcome your input on the series and suggestions for future speakers. Give your feedback here.

Previous Share the Science presentations have been archived for your reference. Discover the work of leading scientists and cord blood industry experts through this educational series. View the archive now.
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​Get Involved. Join the #cordbloodmovement!
​

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who are eager to share what they have learned about cord blood with others.

Whether you are a teacher, parent, doctor, nurse or researcher. . . you can make a difference!

Join us on social media and share your favorite article or program from Save the Cord Foundation.
​Give us a shout when you do and we will let the world know that you are doing your part!
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Cord blood saves lives. Spread the word. ​
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About Save the Cord Foundation

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Save the Cord Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization, was established to promote awareness of the life-saving benefits of cord blood based on u
​nbiased and factual information. The Foundation educates parents, health professionals and the general public about the need to preserve this valuable medical resource while providing information on both public cord blood donation programs and private family cord blood banks worldwide. Learn more about our global community.

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