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NHS Cord Blood Bank Reaches Milestone: 1,000th Transplant Issued
A mother has spoken of her gratitude too the woman who donated the umbilical cord blood that saved her daughter’s life. Ellaria was treated for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and is now thriving in Year 4 at primary school.
“She’s now in Year 4 at primary school. she is a typical girl; loves her music like Elvis, K-Pop and the Spice Girls, her dancing. She is funny. She’s quite a girly girl but with a boy’s sense of humour.”
The mum-of-three, who is currently pregnant with her fourth child with her husband Jonathan, added: “I cannot thank the mum who donated the cord blood Ellaria received enough.
“Without the doctors and without that transplant, she would not be here.
“There are really no words to express how I feel. I just think it’s great that people do it -and I was proud to do it myself.”
The declaration comes as NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) revealed it has issued its 1,000th unit of baby umbilical cord blood for stem cell transplants. This milestone was reached in January 2024.
The NHSBT cord blood bank in Filton, Bristol, which opened in 1996, is one of the largest cord blood banks in Europe and holds over 20,000 donations available for clinical use. As of January 2024, it is the fourth largest in the world.
The bank issued its 999th and 1,000th units to the same young adult with leukaemia at the start of 2024.
Women giving birth at University College Hospital,Luton and Dunstable Hospital and St George’s Hospital can opt to donate cord blood after the placenta has been delivered.
The cord blood is then frozen and stored at minus 196C until a match is found.
The donation can be used decades after donation.
NHSBT said that recent cord blood transplants have been issued to hospitals in London, Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Canada and the netherlands, primarily to treat leukaemia and genetic immunodeficiencies in children.
on reaching the 1,000th transplant, Alex Ross, Head of the NHS Blood and Transplant’s Cord Blood Bank, said: “This was a special moment for our Cord Bank.
“We thank every generous mum who has donated over the years.