Here are stories of some of the those who have donated their baby's cord blood as well as
stories of those who have received
this life-saving resource.

PAISLEY YOURMAN

Paisley Yourman, a 10 lb., 2 oz. baby born August 17 at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, is already a heroine.  Some day, her parents, Thomas and Christi Yourman, will tell her of her first charitable act:  donating the umbilical cord blood from her healthy birth to the Texas Cord Blood Bank.

Odds are, by the time Paisley is old enough to understand, her cord blood will already have saved a life.  Its rich blood-making cells may have been used to treat another child’s cancer, sickle-cell anemia or severe immune system disorder.

Paisley’s parents made the generous decision to donate the cord blood rather than have the hospital dispose of it.  “There was nothing to be concerned about,” Thomas explained.  He says it was an easy decision, with no risk to his wife or his child, and it didn’t cost them anything to donate.

“I didn’t feel anything while they were taking the collection,” Christi said. “Dr. (Bryan) Cox talked me through the whole thing.”

Dr. Cox, an obstetrician/gynecologist who is a strong advocate for public banking, said a majority of patients can’t afford the three to five thousand dollars startup cost for private banking, but public banking allows anyone from any socioeconomic status to make a difference.

“People are generally altruistic,” Dr. Cox said. “So, if you give them the option to donate, they will. Research is advancing so quickly on what can be done with umbilical cord blood stem cells, it seems only natural that people participate in a public process for collecting such a vital resource.”

The Texas Cord Blood Bank’s first collections began in June 2005 at Methodist, and new collection centers have recently opened in the Rio Grande Valley and Dallas as part of a statewide effort to build a cord blood bank that captures the diversity of all Texans.

“A little kid is a gift from God, and we’re so blessed with this little child,” Christi said. “If anything happens to our children, we know we’ve built up the bank.”

ZACHARY WINDROW

Zachary is a bright, sunny three-year-old boy with alabaster hair and twinkling blue eyes. He is adored by his family, and he trots after his mother like a tiny, precious shadow. Shannon, his mom, delights in every moment she shares with her son. When he was born with a rare bone marrow syndrome, she feared a different outcome.

For the first eight months of his life, Zachary’s therapy and illness required many transfusions of platelets and whole blood to keep his fragile body going. Shannon and her husband, Matthew, tried to keep a positive attitude, supported by loving friends and family and a dedicated team of physicians.

After eight months of treatments, during which his beautiful hair fell out in clumps and finally disappeared altogether, Zachary never lost his cheerful disposition. Then the doctors said the agonizing treatments had not worked; he would need a stem cell transplant. In late 2001, they found a match at South Texas Blood and Tissue Center.

In January, he received his transplant, thanks to a mother who donated the cord blood from her own child’s birth. “We were so scared, and we are so thankful,” Shannon says. “Because some mother selflessly donated a little bag of cells, my son is alive and well. She saved my son’s life, and I’ll never take anything for granted again.”

Shannon and Matthew have become advocates for cord blood donations. “It’s so easy. It doesn’t cost anything. These cells would be thrown away otherwise. Yet they can be recycled and save a child.”

Before the transplant, every day was a fearful vigil at a sick child’s bedside. Today, Shannon says, “the worst things we deal with are colds and sniffles. He’s very healthy now.”

In speaking to groups, Shannon encourages prospective donors, “Just look at my baby. He’s a miracle. When you’re in the hospital, giving birth to your precious baby, all you have to do is say, ‘Yes, I want to do that.’”

The more people who donate, the better chance a sick child has of finding a match. “Ask your doctor about it,” she advises. “And if you can’t donate stem cells, you can donate money for the Texas Cord Blood Bank ... it’s a good, good thing!”

ALAZAY CASTILLEJA

With big brown eyes and curly, bouncing pigtails, active three-year-old Alazay Castilleja keeps her parents hopping.  “We’re grateful for every crazy moment,” says her mother, Lupe.  “She’s energetic and running all the time, and how exciting!”

As an infant, Alazay began to suffer symptoms that baffled her doctors.  When she was just four months old, they diagnosed her with undifferentiated leukemia and began an arduous round of chemotherapy on her tiny body.  “When I found out she could die, it felt like a million knives stabbed me,” Lupe says. 

At seven months, Lupe and her husband, Robert discovered their baby girl needed a cord blood transplant and they were thrilled when a match was found through the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center.  After the transplant, Alazay suffered some rough reactions, but within weeks she was active and happy.  “It was so good to see her blossom after all those months of lying in bed, sleeping, tubes coming in and out,” her mom says.

“Cord blood saved my baby’s life.  If I could meet the woman who donated cord blood for my child, I’d hug and kiss her ... I’d do anything, I’m so grateful.  If I ever meet her, I’ll tell her she’s my big, humongous angel,” Lupe says.

“Every mother should donate the cord blood from having a baby,” Lupe says.  “It doesn’t cost anything ... and it saves lives.  Here’s my little girl as proof,” she says of the lively, healthy child in her lap.  “Why would they not donate?  Who can say ‘no’ to a baby?”