July is cord blood awareness month, and babies born right here in Baptist Medical Center-South, Baptist Medical Center-East, Jackson Hospital and East Alabama Medical Center are our community’s youngest lifesavers.

By choosing to donate their newborn’s umbilical cord blood with LifeSouth through its LifeCord program, parents are helping spread the joy, by giving another person a chance for life. Umbilical cord blood contains the stem cells that can be used by patients needing marrow transplants for the treatment of leukemia and other serious diseases.

There is no charge for donating and it’s easy and safe for the mother and the baby. LifeCord is a non-profit, public cord blood bank that accepts donations from eight hospitals in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Since it was founded in 1998, LifeCord has supplied 111donations for transplants in 23 states and nine foreign countries. It is also one of five cord blood banks in the United States that has an FDA license to manufacture cord blood. It has more than 5,000 individual units tested and ready to go to a patient in need anywhere in the world.

If you or someone you know is expecting, remember this lifesaving opportunity. Talk to their doctor or midwife about donation or call LifeSouth today for information.

Sincerely,

Dr. Juan Merayo-Rodriguez

Medical Director