Imagine to be born as a machine: you would be able to do anything you want, and if some parts of you break, you’d be able to replace it with a spare part.
Unfortunately, you are a human being, and you cannot replace parts of your body with some new ones as a machine does. Or can you?
Nobody knows that it is possible to generate new organs, that will be 100% compatibles with your body. This thanks to something that everyone has since he was born: the umbilical cord, or better the stem cells of the umbilical cord. These special cells have incredible power: they are like supercells, able to create any type of tissues, like the epithelial or the muscular ones, so we can create new organs to use as substitutes of others that could be affected or damaged.
This would be possible for you, if you still had your own umbilical cord. Unfortunately, the doctor you met when you were born threw it away, in a common rubbish can. This happens to umbilical cords all over the world every day, and it is an incredible waste of resources. Now the good news comes: it is possible to save the umbilical cords of the newborns, and it is very easy.
During the pregnancy the parents have to choose to safe it and when the labour time will come, the father will call the agency specialized that, thanks to a 24H out of 24H service, will come to the hospital and will take some samples.
It is a totally safe procedure, and neither the mother or the baby will get hurt. This because the blood, which contains the stem cells, is taken from the umbilical cord once the child is born. Once taken, the samples will be carried to the agency, where will be put in cryopreservation, which means to a temperature of about -150°C. So they are frozen and will be defrosted in the hour of need. This is incredibly helpful, because, thanks to these stem cells, scientists are able to treat more that 80 pathologies, including common blood diseases like leukaemia and anaemia.
All this is fantastic, but there is one, little big problem. In Italy, private agencies of this kind are forbidden, they don’t exist. There are only public centres, where the umbilical cords can be collected and used by everybody. The stem cells are compatible only with the biological owner and his immediate family, while there is very little chance to find stem cells that are compatible with your body.
Fortunately, near countries like England, Switzerland and the best in Europe, San Marino, have private agency, where you can keep the umbilical cords of your sons and daughters, and furthermore, the price is very cheap! The keeping costs about 2000 euros for 20 years! Now that you have all the necessary information, it’s up to you: will you save your children’s life with this simple and cheap gesture?
Riccardo De Biasi, 3 A Ls
