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Emotional Decisions
Donating a baby’s cord blood is a no-brainer for some people, but there are others who need to think a little bit more about what it truly means to save or donate this blood. Ultimately, the decision to donate or bank the blood is a personal decision.
Despite this, there is a very good chance your decision could affect other people as well. Perhaps before a person makes a decision, they should understand how emotional it is to give or receive this cord blood.
There are many occasions when people are grateful beyond words to receive this blood, even though the person who decides to donate the blood in the first place may never know the disease cured or the patient helped.
There are many things cord blood can do to help families. Sometimes the family most affected is the family of the baby whose blood was collected after birth. However, it is more common that it is an entirely different family helped by another’s donated umbilical cord blood. Even though the blood sometimes can be used to help treat cancer or liver disease for others in the same family, it is far from certain that the donor’s and potential recipient’s blood will match.
This is why it is more common that a recipient that matches – but comes from a different family is more likely to use the blood. If you donate the cord blood, you may never know how your decision positively affected another family or saved a life.
It is possible the cord blood you donate could help a small child overcome leukemia or give a grandfather a second chance after being diagnosed with liver disease. Because donor and recipient information is confidential, you probably would never meet the person who received the blood, but it is very likely that there is an extremely grateful family out there somewhere for all of those who have chosen to donate this blood.
Emotionally, it can be difficult for some people to choose whether they should store the blood in a private bank or simply donate it. Because private banks collect fees for collecting and storing the blood, they are making money in this venture. Some have said they have felt guilted into putting their baby’s cord blood into a bank just in case the child or other family members may use it later on down the road.
Some experts argue you should not allow this guilt to permeate, because it is entirely likely that the blood could not be used on a family member. Still, there is always the potential it could be. This is a difficult decision for some. Do they hold on to the cord blood in case they may be able to use it for a member of their own family, or do they donate it knowing that it almost certainly will be able to help somebody else and their family? This can be a difficult decision that ultimately needs to come from you.
There are very few cut-and-dried issues about cord blood stem cells. There is a definite possibility donation will help your family, but there is also a strong likelihood it will help others who are waiting on the right donor.
Making this decision is something that should not be taken lightly. Perhaps the best way to decide is to simply weigh the options and find out what the likelihood of different scenarios are and then simply decide. There is no guarantee your decision to donate or keep the blood is going to be the right or wrong decision, but as long as you educate yourself you can feel more secure about the decision made.
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