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Bill promoting umbilical cord donation goes to governor
By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN | Associated Press
March 17, 2005
SANTA FE - Pregnant women would be able to learn about the option of donating their umbilical cord blood stem cells under a measure sent to Gov. Bill Richardson.
The Umbilical Cord Blood Banking Act, which won the Legislature's approval on Thursday, would require doctors to inform pregnant women about umbilical cord donation and require hospitals to allow pregnant patients to arrange for such donations.
Stem cells are used to treat more than 40 life-threatening diseases, including leukemia, breast cancer, other cancers and blood disorders. Stem cell treatment using blood from umbilical cords doesn't involve human embryos.
"To think that this life-saving information has gone down the drain in the past saddens me," said Sen. Nancy Rodriguez, D-Santa Fe, the bill's sponsor.
Rodriguez said she was inspired to draft the proposal partly because of personal experience. She says such a donation might have helped her own daughter, who died in 2002 after pancreas surgery.
Rodriguez's interest also was sparked by the case of Kailee Wells, who has severe aplastic anemia in which bone marrow cannot produce new blood cells. The 8-year-old Albuquerque girl recently underwent an unsuccessful bone marrow transplant.
Kailee's mother, Linda Wells, made two trips to China _ where Kailee was born _ that ultimately proved unsuccessful in finding a stem cell match for her adopted daughter.
The legislation requires the state Department of Health by Jan. 1 to prepare and distribute pamphlets that provide information on the umbilical cord blood donation option.
The pamphlets will include details on the medical processes involved, the risks and the potential benefits.
"The hope of all people benefiting from this new law is more than encouraging," Rodriguez said.
Health care facilities wouldn't be obligated under the legislation to permit a donation if it would threaten the health of the mother or child, or if it conflicted with the religious beliefs of the health care provider.
The House passed the measure unanimously on Thursday. It also had been approved unanimously by the Senate.
Rep. Rhonda King, D-Stanley, spoke in support of the measure. She stored her umbilical cord blood stem cells following the birth of her daughter last October.
"It's a fairly new procedure," King said. "This gives people the option if they don't want to store it themselves, they can donate it and possibly save other people's lives."
The umbilical cord blood donation bill is SB605.
On the Net:
Legislature: www.legis.state.nm.us
Wells' family Web site: http://www.kaileegetwells.com/update.htm
Community Comes Together To Help Sick Boy
On Saturday, people from all over the Quad Cites area came to Eldridge help a little boy with Aplastic Anemia.
Little Devin Strief was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia in February. But luckily for Devin a bone marrow donor was recently found. And even more good news, Devin is responding well to his drug treatments.
But the Strief family still need financial help with Devin's medical bills. So on Saturday people from Dubuque to the Quad Cities came together to help the family out. Scrap-bookers gathered in the gym of North Scott Jr. High School in Eldridge to raise money for the Strief family. Admission was $40 and over 90 people registered.
Scrap-bookers set up for the all day event and were able to purchase stickers, paper and other necessities from vendors. All the vendors will donate a percentage of their profits to Devin's family.
Devin's daycare sitter and neighbor, Penny Beem, organized the event and show says coming up with the idea was easy.
"I thought, what can I do?" said Penny. "Since we get together occasionally to scrap book, we thought we would take something we love and have a passion for and put it towards Devin."
Donations are also being accepted at Valley Bank locations. Devin's mom says they will use the money to help with cost onto covered by insurance and put any extra money raised into a savings account for Devin.
Trinity's hope
By Kelly Fosness Gazette Writer
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Miracles can happen. That's the attitude Nathan and Marichiel Ewert of Long Beach, Calif. share when it comes to their precious daughter Trinity.
Earlier this year, the two-year-old was diagnosed with a severe form of aplastic anemia, a rare blood disease characterized by the failure of bone marrow to produce all three types of blood cells: red, white and platelets. As a result, Trinity's blood is unable to clot, and similar to cancer patients where the cancer cells kill the bone marrow, her immune system is attacking her bone marrow. At this point, Trinity's bones are only 5 percent filled with marrow.
"Our hearts dropped when we found out," Nathan, a1990 graduate of Lake Linden High School, said, from his home in Long Beach. "You never want to hear that your child has the most severe form of anything."
Since Trinity's symptoms began in April, she, as well as her parents, have no longer been able to live the regular lifestyle they did before her diagnosis. They now make weekly doctor visits to have Trinity's blood drawn, monitor her cell counts and levels as well as arrange appointments for regular blood and platelet transfusions. Nathan said the platelet transfusions are completed every 10 days while blood transfusions are every two weeks.
It may seem like a life of isolation for Trinity who doesn't have an immune system and must stay away from public areas such as playgrounds, shopping malls and any place where she could come into contact with others.
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