I’m going through the decision making process of whether I should have the cord blood for my soon-to-be born twins (boy and girl) stored. I already checked and our hospital does not particpate in any donation programs, so the choices seem to be to store or discard.
I’m looking at a one-time fee of about $3k for both of them and a yearly storage fee of about $200, so it isn’t cheap.
I’ve already done some research, but this is such an emotional issue that I’m starting to question my objectivity here.
Cord blood: The blood in the ombilical cord; rich in stem cells and eminently compatible with the baby (and often with one or both parents). It can be used for some of the newest cutting-edge tissue replacement techniques.
I know in my case, I couldn’t afford it. Fortunately, the chance of actually needing it are pretty remote. The rub is that you never know if your kid will need it down the road. Also, new techniques might be developed in the future that could require it (or at least make good use of it if it’s available. Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and similar degenerative diseases might be “curable” or at least “treatable” using some of those cells.)
In 70 years, your kid might wish you’d invested the 3K 'cause it could mean the difference between another 30 years of healthy life, or slowly going senile…
If it’s no hardship, I’d say go for it. But there are a lot of “ifs”…