Since the development of Cord blood banks in 1989, several people have reaped the amazing rewards they have to offer! Many, many lives have been saved and the research completed has been extremely promising. Awareness is  without a doubt the greatest obstacle to the expansion of cord blood banking. However also among these obstacles is that  banks all over the world have an alarmingly low number of cord blood units  available to represent minorities.

Highly underrepresented:

  • Asian
  • African American
  • Hispanic
  • Mixed Ethnicities

Did you know that Caucasians have a 50% better chance at finding a donor through the national marrow program? For others the chance can drop to below 15%!  There are a few major reasons for these staggering statistics.  One of the biggest reasons is that the minorities listed above  have a larger variation of HLA types found in there blood than Caucasians. “What is HLA types?”, you ask? An HLA type is what makes each individuals blood unique. It is the determining factor used when looking for a donor.  So when minorities, especially with a mixed background, are searching for a donor, the odds of finding a match are much higher.

I think it’s safe to say, that this is a major problem!  The solution is simple! We need to raise awareness of cord blood preservation and increase bone marrow registrations. Everyone deserves a fighting chance! There is NO better time than right now! July is Cord Blood Awareness month..together we can spread the word!

 You can help by:  Tweeting on twitter, updating your status on facebook and sharing this valuable news with everyone you know!

Together We CAN Help Save Lives,

Natalie Curry