HELP SAVE A LIFE DONATE YOUR CORD BLOOD

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1 HELP SAVE A LIFE DONATE YOUR CORD BLOOD University Hospitals of Leicester

2 Anthony Nolan Cord Blood Donation Programme Did you know that following the safe birth of your baby, you could save a person s life just by donating your umbilical cord? The blood from your placenta and cord is rich in stem cells. We can use these in stem cell transplants to help people suffering from leukaemia and serious blood disorders. For someone who needs a transplant, it s often their last chance at life. The stem cells in cord blood have the potential to save countless lives. Anthony Nolan s cord blood programme is a pioneering initiative to collect and bank stem cells from donated umbilical cords. HOW DO I TAKE PART? Please follow these simple steps: 1 Peel off the attached Pre-Consent sticker and stick this to the front of your medical notes. This helps us to identify you as a cord donor when you come on to the maternity ward. 2 Complete and return the attached form on this leaflet. Alternatively you can fill in our online form at 3 If you want to ask further questions before completing the form please call us on PRE-CONSENT Anthony Nolan Cord Blood Donation PROGRAMME Please peel off and stick to the front of your medical notes. Once we receive your completed form we will contact you to discuss any questions you may have. We ll then arrange an appointment for your formal consent. The sticker on this leaflet gives you the option of pre-consent. If you stick it on the front of your medical notes, it shows you intend to donate. Ideally we will arrange a meeting to take your formal consent before your labour starts. If this isn t possible, the sticker on your notes gives us permission to collect your baby s cord blood. We d then take your formal consent after your baby s birth. Caitlin received her lifesaving cord blood donation through the work of Anthony Nolan. Anthony Nolan finds matches for leukaemia patients who need a lifesaving transplant. For someone with leukaemia, a bone marrow transplant can be their only hope of life. We use our register, cord blood bank and research to find remarkable people who can give them that hope by donating their stem cells. By doing this, we save lives. Every day. Freepost Plus RSJZ-CRCR-LYKE Anthony Nolan Cord Collection UHL Maternity Unit Leicester General Hospital Gwendolen Road LEICESTER LE5 4PW

3 WHAT IS CORD BLOOD? It s the blood that remains in your placenta and umbilical cord. After you give birth, your umbilical cord is clamped. With the placenta, it s normally thrown away as clinical waste. As it s rich in stem cells, saving more cord blood means saving more lives. To do this, we need your help. WHY IS CORD BLOOD IMPORTANT? Currently, there are 16,000 people who desperately need a lifesaving stem cell transplant, but can t find a match. As the stem cells in your cord blood could be used for transplants, your donation may one day save a life. Called cord blood transplantation, it s an alternative to bone marrow transplants. The advantage is that that they are immediately available. Time is often a crucial factor for a person who needs a stem cell transplant, so it could mean the difference between life and death. We especially need donations from non-caucasian communities as we re more likely to find a match amongst people who share the same ethnic background. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DONATE MY CORD BLOOD? Donating your cord blood is a risk free procedure. Once your baby has been safely delivered, the umbilical cord will be clamped as normal. Then the cord and placenta will be passed to one of our dedicated collecting staff. They ll take it to a separate room to extract the blood from the cord. Be assured the procedure does not interfere with the safe birth of your baby in any way. Following your donation we will need to take a maternal blood sample from you. Winifred donated her cord blood when she gave birth to her daughter Sophie. As we re also researching stem cell cures for a wider range of conditions, she could end up helping a lot more people. Sorrel had leukaemia but because someone donated their cord blood, she got the lifesaving transplant she urgently needed. She s full of energy, and loves swimming and PE. She leads a full and active life at school. ARE THERE ANY RISKS? Collecting your baby s cord blood is a risk free, painless procedure which does not interfere in any way with you giving birth. The safety of you and your baby takes priority over all other considerations. After giving birth, we will need to take a maternal blood sample from you (not your baby). It may result in slight discomfort, bruising or possibly fainting. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? The immense satisfaction of knowing that your umbilical cord donation could help save someone s life. If it isn t used in a transplant, it could be used for essential stem cell research into helping a much wider variety of conditions including diabetes and Alzheimers. If one of your family needs a transplant in the future and your baby s cord blood is still available, it could provide a match. However, there are no guarantees for this. WHAT HAPPENS TO THE CORD BLOOD? After collection, we process it to make sure it can be used for a transplant. Approximately half of the units we collect will be suitable. We then store these until needed by a patient. Sometimes, donated cords are not usable for transplant. For example, if the amount of blood collected is too small. If it isn t suitable, we ll dispose of it as clinical waste or use it in research approved by an appropriate Ethics Committee. If used for research, your identity or you baby s, will not be known. By joining this programme you are agreeing to allow us to use the donation for research if it doesn t meet our standards for clinical use. Using your baby s cord blood for research still means your donation could help towards saving lives.

4 Anthony Nolan researchers and others are trying to analyse the different cellular components in cord blood to be used as an immune or stem cell source. Stem cells have regenerative properties. Research undertaken at our research institute and by others, will allow us to see if we can create new therapies for other conditions such as stroke, heart attacks and brain injury. The cord blood will not be cloned. We cannot guarantee that your cord blood will be collected and stored. This may be because an accredited collector is unavailable or other situations arise during labour, which make the collection inappropriate. PRE-CONSENT FORM Remember donating your cord costs you nothing but could help save a life. If you re interested in donating your cord blood, please complete this form and return it to us (no stamp required). On receipt we will contact you to discuss your consent and answer any questions that you might have. Please print clearly DO I HAVE TO TAKE PART? No. Your participation is completely voluntary. You will not receive any financial reward for the donation. Name Your Date of Birth House number and Street WHY DO I NEED TO CONSENT? Town Postcode Consent is central in all forms of healthcare and tissue donation in the EU, and a legal requirement of cord blood collection. Without your consent we cannot process your cord and it will be thrown away. Home Tel Mobile WILL MY TAKING PART BE CONFIDENTIAL? Yes. Authorised personnel from this hospital and from Anthony Nolan may look at parts of your or your baby s medical records and the data collected. But they will not disclose any details outside the programme. WILL THIS COST ME ANYTHING? Maternity Hospital Hospital No Please tick as appropriate Your baby s due date I have attached my pre-consent sticker to my notes. I would like you to contact me to arrange an appointment so that I can consent to donate my baby s cord blood. No. WHAT IF I HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS? Discuss them with your midwife/doctor Please call us on or visit our website Kate was one of the first mothers to donate her cord blood and now is about to donate a second time. It s wonderful to be able to help others who aren t fortunate enough to be as healthy as me and my family. It s something that every pregnant woman should consider. I would like to receive more information before I decide to donate and I am happy for you to telephone me. IMPORTANT: You should not offer to donate your cord blood if you are under 17 years of age or if you have ever knowingly: injected drugs for non-medical reasons received money or drugs in exchange for sex been diagnosed with HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C In the last 12 months you have had sex knowingly with: a partner who has had sex with someone in exchange for money or drugs a partner who injects drugs for non-medical reasons a partner who has been diagnosed with HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C a man who has had sex with another man I agree to Anthony Nolan and its NHS Trust partners holding my personal details in their donor database and processing this information as necessary for the proper administration of Anthony Nolan. All personal information will be handled in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

5 IT S AMAZING. YOU RE CREATING LIFE AND HELPING SAVE LIVES. Kate, cord blood donor 2-3 Heathgate Place London NW3 2NU Photo: Nick David Registered charity no /SC OP-COR03/0710/2500