The gift of a lifetime

MANILA, Philippines - Whenever people ask me what it is about my work that makes me love it so much, I always tell them the same thing: Being a TV host, children’s book author, and breastfeeding advocate allows me to reach out and affect a lot of people’s lives. And this is why I set aside a great deal of my time to master my craft and make sure that I prepare well for my shows or guestings.

 But no matter how dedicated I am to my work, I always make sure I find time to spend with my kids Antonia and Antonio. As a full-time mom, I make sure that I always fulfill my obligations to my children; I want to make sure I provide them with the best kind of care. After all, being a mother and seeing them grow up brings me a different kind of happiness that work cannot provide.

Gaining Knowledge

 When I was pregnant with my second child Antonio, I learned about cord blood banking and the many potential benefits it offers. For one, I learned that stem cells found in cord blood have the ability to repair brain damage and treat diseases such as cerebral palsy, certain cancers, and in the future, even diabetes. Additionally, cord blood stem cells also have the ability to treat leukemia and lymphoma, two of the country’s top deadly diseases that affect both kids and adults. This makes cord blood banking significant to me, not only as a concerned mother but also as a child welfare advocate.

 I believe that securing our family’s health is tantamount to securing our future, and this is why cord blood banking is important to me. These days, we really don’t have any way of knowing what disease can strike the people we love. As a parent, I know how difficult it can be to watch helplessly as your child suffers from pain that he/she can do without.

 I found out from the Cerebral Palsied Association of the Philippines that there are an estimated 300,000 Filipinos who suffer from cerebral palsy today. This means that for every 1,000 live births in the country, three to four babies are likely to be affected by this disorder, a number I did not want to believe.

 I also learned that most elements present in our environment today put us at a greater risk of contracting diseases; proof of this is the number of children as young as five years old being diagnosed with leukemia or some other life-threatening disease we never (wanted to) imagine they could acquire.

 According to Dr. Goh, the umbilical cord is one of the most viable sources of stem cells. He said that stem cells in cord blood possess an increased ability to adapt, revitalize, and replenish the blood and immune system by developing into red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Who would have thought that the umbilical cord — previously regarded as medical waste — was actually a gold mine of stem cells? If only I had learned this before Anya was born, I would have definitely stored her cord blood stem cells as well.

A Once-In-A-Lifetime Gesture

 Cord blood banking can save not just the life of the donor but also those of his/her family members. According to experts, finding a cord blood match within the family is 60-percent higher compared to finding a bone marrow match. As a mother and a wife to Julius, nothing makes me happier than knowing that I took the step to safeguard my family’s health.

 After learning the many advantages of storing cord blood stem cells, my husband Julius and I quickly jumped on the bandwagon and decided to go for it. This is because we both knew that we are only given one chance to do it at birth, after the umbilical cord is cut.

 Julius and I entrusted Nio’s cord blood stem cells to CordLife, the only company in the country that has a facility built according to world-class standards of the American Association of Blood Banks and the International Organization for Standardization. It also has proven transplant track record — with such strong credentials, Julius and I know that CordLife is a company we can trust.

 I believe expectant parents should store their baby’s cord blood cells in cord blood banks. A family needs to save only P22 a day to afford it — quite a small amount compared to what you will have to spend on medicines and medical procedures if any of your family members catches a life-threatening disease.

 Here’s my final word on the matter: Do the right thing and safeguard your family’s health. Invest in cord blood banking.

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Christine Babao or Mommy Tintin is a mother of two kids, wife of award-winning news anchor Julius Babao, TV host, children’s book author, mompreneur, breastfeeding advocate, creative director and host of www.parenTIN.tv, the first online parenting show in the Philippines.

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For more information on CordLife and cord blood banking, visit www.cordlife.com/ph or call 710-9195.