POSTED: Friday, September 17, 2010 - 4:29pm
UPDATED: Friday, September 17, 2010 - 7:07pm
Louisiana is one of only 15 states with a public cord blood bank. And today, LifeShare Blood Centers announced the first donation from Louisiana has found a match in record time.
It's been just over a year since LifeShare got started as the first and only public cord blood bank. It usually takes at least four years for a new cord blood bank to stock a diverse enough supply of cells to make a match. But for one transplant patient, today was her lucky day. Because of patient confidentiality laws, we don't know any more details.
LifeShare spokesperson Libby Murphy says today's transplant shows that their mission is critical, saying "This is a testament to the significance of Louisiana's diverse population and the importance of the genetic pool in Louisiana to healthcare in our state and in our nation."
The life-saving stem cells are just another gift of life, found inside the umbilical cord and placenta, tissue that's usually thrown away at birth.
Expectant mothers who want to donate their cord blood, should talk to their doctor, or go to www.lifeshare.org [2] for more information.
LifeShare received $2.5 million dollars over the past two years in state funds to get started.