CBA Florida Inc. (fka CBAI)

[MrLong]

September 2010 'Sickle Cell (SCD) Awareness Month' and not one PR about the benefits of storing cord blood to cure Sickle Cell Disease. What a missed opportunity.
-Facts: SCD affects an estimated 70,000 to 100,000 Americans.
-The disease occurs in about 1 out of every 500 African Americans births.
-The disease occurs in about 1 out of every 36,000 Hispanic Americans births.
-Sickle cell trait occurs in about 1 in 12 African Americans.
http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/templates/content.aspx?ID=8588&lvl=3&lvlID=287

SCD Economic Impact:
Medical expenditures for children with sickle cell disease averaged $11,702 for children with Medicaid coverage and $14,772 for children with employer-sponsored insurance. 40% of both groups had at least one hospital stay.
http://www.cdc.gov/NCBDDD/sicklecell/data.html

Again, why hasn't the President advertised the SCD cure for family members? If a child is born free of SCD/Thalassemia but a sibling or parent has the disease then that stored cord blood can be transplanted into the sick family member curing them of SCD/Thalassemia with reduced risks of rejection. Sadly, there are too few families that know a cure exists. Families must store the cord blood at birth to receive the benefit and there isn't much in life that is "Free" so fork up the coin.