StemCell Therapy

Anyone who has watched Channel 4s hit series One Born Every Minute will tell you that seeing new life come into the world can be pretty magical.

Carolyn Sayle and her daughters Neenah and Shauni Higgins can wholeheartedly attest to that.

Although they have been present at countless births , they are not midwives. They have an altogether different role but one that could potentially save someones life.

All three work for the charity Anthony Nolan as dedicated cord blood collectors.

Their job involves asking expectant mums to donate their umbilical cord blood which would usually be thrown away for use in stem cell transplants.

Such transplants are often used when a patient doesnt have a match from an adult donor, such as if the patient is from an ethnic minority background, because the young cells are more adaptable to different genetic types.

Shauni says: Donating cord blood can make the difference between life and death for somebody who is suffering from blood cancer or leukaemia and its risk-free for the mother and baby .

Carolyn, 55, was the first to start working for the charity in March 2014 after relocating from Manchester, where she was an IVF coordinator, to Saxmundham, Suffolk, to live with her partner Paul, 60.

She says: Id known about Anthony Nolan for years, having joined the register as a bone marrow donor during one of its first big recruitment drives in the 70s.

Its a really important job that we do, and it still fascinates me that something we would otherwise throw away could save someones life.

Carolyn, who is based at Kings College Hospital in London, says collection is the easiest part of the job. So far she has done 455.

Its the bit that comes before thats difficult, she says. The majority of expectant mothers dont even know they can donate their placentas and umbilical cord.

Most are already in labour so theyre not in the best frame of mind when we approach them. Youve got to have people skills and know when not to go in the look on their face will tell you.

Carolyn says she starts every shift never knowing what will happen.

Weve got ladies walking in constantly in all stages of labour, she says. We try to speak to them as they come in as well as keeping track of deliveries.

"It can be a bit hectic when youve got a few ladies pushing and you dont know which one youll collect from first.

Once a woman has consented, a cord collector will be there in the delivery room or in theatre if they are having a caesarean section.

After delivery, the cord and placenta are taken into a separate room. The collector has to massage the placenta and the blood drains through the cord into a collection bag before it is cryogenically frozen.

One of Carolyns cord collections was used in a transplant last year. She recalls: I thought, How fantastic is that? I was so proud and told Neenah and Shauni straight away.

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Staff arent told where a donation is issued in order to maintain confidentiality, but Anthony Nolan can track how patients are doing further down the line.

Carolyn says: Its early days with it only being last year so I havent heard anything yet.

Shauni, 23, was so impressed with her mums work she became a cord collector herself at St Marys Hospital, Manchester, last May.

Shauni, who lives in Bagley, Manchester, with partner Jordan, 28, explains: Id loved the few placements Id done working in hospitals, and quickly realised I found my dream job when I joined Anthony Nolan.

On my first day I went into theatre to see a c-section. It was amazing and the first time Ive ever seen a birth. Nothing prepares you.

She says one of the most difficult parts of the job is when women decide not to donate. It seems such a shame for something so valuable to go to waste, she says.

Nearly all the cords we collect get used for something those that arent clinical-grade are used in research.

Mum-of-one Neenah, 28, started working alongside her sister as a cord collector at St Marys last July after deciding on a career change after working as an Estee Lauder manager and make-up artist.

She donated her own cord blood when she gave birth to Penelope, 20 months, and says: Id heard so much about donating from mum and I wanted to give something back. I wanted to do something that helped people.

Neenah, who lives in Urmston, Greater Manchester, with fianc Ian, 30, now wears scrubs and no make-up to work. She says: A lot of the time I get blood on my face so I dont want to be worrying about smudging my foundation when I wipe it off.

But being on a maternity unit can be an emotional roller coaster.

She says: I had a lady who had been induced but she had a placentalabruption and was rushed into theatre for an emergency c-section. She lost a lot of blood so I couldnt do the collection and the baby was very poorly.

That was horrible. It does affect you because you build up a relationship with people. You can sometimes come home after a shift and have a cry.

Working together has brought about a bit of family rivalry.

Neenah says: Last week Shauni was saying shed extracted 235ml of blood and I said, Well, I got 240ml.

Shauni adds: We have a bit of a competition when it comes to the size of the collections. She beat me by five. I always beat mum though!

Donating cord blood is completely risk-free for mother and baby, and doesnt interfere with your birth plan.

Anthony Nolan can currently collect cord blood in four hospitals St Marys, Manchester; Kings College Hospital, London; Leicester Royal Infirmary and Leicester General Hospital.

You can only donate if youre giving birth at one of these hospitals and you cannot donate if you are having a home birth.

You can register your interest online before birth at anthonynolan.org .

Each mum who donates is given a baby bundle, which includes a certificate and babygro, as a thank you.

There is no subsequent contact between cord donors and recipients who then benefit.

The NHS cord blood bank collects in a further six hospitals Barnet General Hospital, Luton and Dunstable Hospital, Watford General Hospital, and Londons Northwick Park, St Georges and University College Hospitals.

Read the original here:
How new mums' umbilical cord blood can save lives as 'collectors' use it for stem cell transplants - Mirror.co.uk

This entry was posted on April 4, 2017 at 10:43 am and is filed under Death by Stem Cells. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |