Michigan cord blood bank celebrates 100th transfer of cord blood

For more than a decade the Michigan Blood Cord Blood Bank has been collecting blood from umbilical cords and sending that blood which is rich in life-affirming stem cells to patients in need.

The blood cord bank recently marked the delivery of its 100th potentially lifesaving unit of stem cells from donated umbilical cord blood to a transplant center in the northeastern United States, where it will be transfused into a 14-year-old boy who is battling leukemia.

Such milestones are a proud time for the Michigan Blood Cord Blood Bank, but it's only a slice of what it has accomplished since its founding in 1999, said its medical director, Dr. LeeAnn Weitekamp.

Michigan Blood's Cord Blood Bank is the first public cord blood bank in Michigan, with a 12-year history of collecting, processing, banking and distributing donated cord blood for transplantation to patients with certain blood-related diseases, such as lymphoma and sickle cell anemia.

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