Stem cell storage

[solgirl]

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone else was considering taking some of their baby's umbilical cord blood and storing it in case of future illness. I am seriously consdiering it and the company I like best is Cells4life (http://www.cells4life.co.uk/)

Would love to know other peoples opinions and also experiences of anyone who has done it.

 

[SuziQ]

I seriously looked at this, but for roughly £1000 a year, every year, its a bit too expensive for us to afford.
Obviously IF something went wrong with my child, I will be kicking myself for not doing this, but to spend out this extra money on something that might never be needed seems to my OH a bit of a waste. BUT.. not a waste of money... as its a very good thing to spend your money on...
I guess what I'm trying to say, is IF I could afford it, then yeh, I'd do it.

I am going to see my dad at the weekend, and ask his opinion (his wife is pretty high up in a medical world) and will know a LOT more about this than me... and possibly IF they think its a VERY good idea, then maybe I will ask all the grandparents for it, as a birthday present, each year for LO??

So... thats its really.
Bit rambling.. and maybe not much help...

x

 

[muppetmummy]

It seems a good idea if you can afford it. I can't imagine many can though, thats a lot of money!

In my case, I'd be thinking anyway that it wouldn't be fair on James as he never got any stem cells saved when he was born.

 

[solgirl]

The company I am thinking of (Cells4Life) have the following charges and and they also have a payment plan.

The total cost is £1495 for the collection kit, testing and storage for 20 years. - there is no yearly charge.
I would have an extra cost of £377 for the extra courier to me in Spain.
If you decide to go for the payment plan then it is an extra £265 in total but they will spread the whole cost over 24 months (an initial £150 for the collection kit and then once the blood is tested and proved to OK 23 payments @ £70 a month).

 

[Suzie and Faith]

I hadn't considered it. We can't afford anything like it so it's not an option. But if it's affordable then sounds good!

 

[GBLiz]

in the grand scheme of things £1500 doesnt seem a lot to pay for potentially saving your childs life

BUT

most people get to age 20 without significant health problems....how much would they charge for the next 20 years!??? thats when your body starts falling apart!

 

[abcd1234]

I wont be storing them, tbh i no all the things about it, but i've never had any desire to do it, it seems like another way to get money outta people caring for their children, and if she gets ill i wont feel bad about not saving her cord either.
Obviously i love her, but i'm not gonna spend that money when it'd be a bit of a watse

 

[Tiggergirl]

It's worth mentioning that there isn't a great deal that can be done with these stem cells at the moment to treat or cure an illness.

It's all 'potentially in the future we might be able to etc'. If they already had the technology to use it then I might be convinced, but for that amount of money I would have to go back to work 2 months earlier than I had planned.

Personally I'd rather use the money to be at home with our baby while I can.