World Cord Blood Day 2018

15th November marks World Cord Blood Day 2018. Smart Cells have chosen to support the day with a social media campaign highlighting stats and facts on cord blood and sharing personal stories of cord blood collection.

As you all well know, I’m a huge fan of stem cell technology and I feel sure that it’s where the future of medicine lies. So, once again I’m promoting this fantastic cause.

Over the past year, UK based private cord blood collection and storage company, Smart Cells, have showed their support for World Cord Blood Day, and cord blood awareness throughout the year, by focusing on the lack of education and awareness around cord blood. Stats had shown that very few parents knew that they had the opportunity to collect and store their baby’s cord blood at birth.

Due to the successes of campaigns including infographics and video content shared digitally by parental influencers and popular websites such as Netmums, awareness is now heightened around the opportunities available to store cord blood. As such, this year, Smart Cells aim to highlight further information around cord blood such as how it can help, what specifically it helps with and the future possibilities for stem cell research from cord blood collection. 

They have launched a social media campaign across all their platforms – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – which uses illustrations to emphasise the following points:

Smart Cells will also be running an event at the Women’s Wellness Centre on Fulham Road, London, on Monday 12thNovember to allow people to meet Smart Cells’ Scientific Director, Dr. Ann Smith, and the Smart Cells team, alongside Mr. Keith Duncan, Consultant Obstetrician at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. This event aims to raise awareness as prospective parents can talk to the experts about the cord blood collection process and the importance of storing cord blood stem cells.

The company have spoken to parents who have been through the experience of having their cord blood collected at birth in order to share their stories about the process. Their belief is that not only is medical research key, but that ensuring parents who choose the option for cord blood collection are well-informed. There have been myths that the process can be painful, difficult or otherwise stressful, but these stories show just how quick and simple the procedure can be, especially when considering the benefits that cord blood collection and research can bring.

I too have cord blood stored, it’s not cheap but it’s the most worthwhile investment in the future health of your children. Not many know that you can do it on the NHS too. What I mean is, you may get the midwife to collect from the umbilical cord even if you give birth at an NHS hospital. One day the service will certainly be offered for free but for now there’s only a national stem cell bank which you can donate anonymously to. So until then, choose to protect your children against future illness as best you can.