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September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and organizations across Canada are working throughout the month to raise awareness for the campaign. The goal of the promotion is to generate revenue for research and medical breakthroughs to help improve the quality of lives for children in Canada and around the world.
One option that can potentially improve the lives of children is cord blood banking, which stores a sample of a baby’s umbilical cord blood as a source of medical therapy if ever the need arises. Cord blood programs such as Insception Lifebank help families make a potentially life changing decision by storing samples of cord blood at designated facilities.
Recognizing that the cost of cord blood banking could prevent some families from committing to a decision, Insception Lifebank sponsored the Wings of Hope Medical Needs Program. The program was founded by Dr. Barbara Cruickshank, who works for Insception Lifebank’s partner Mount Sinai Hospital. The Wings of Hope program allows families to waive the initial fee associated with the cord blood collection process provided they are approved to do so.
Many families benefitted from Wings of Hope, including a young boy named Devon who was diagnosed with Myeloid Dysplasia. The program helped Devon’s family to register, process, and store his cord blood which was eventually used in a cord blood stem cell transplant. Devon now lives a much greater quality of life, and his family continued to bank cord blood with the birth of their third child.
Families applying for Wings of Hope receive a letter explaining the program, and referring them to the registration process. This letter explains how the program will benefit the family, and also provides contact information to Insception Lifebank representatives for any other inquiries.
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month lasts throughout September, and the goal is to inform as many families as possible about how to help protect children from cancerous conditions.
