A new initiative is being launched during National Marrow Awareness Month to educate women about the importance of public cord blood donation. The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Center for Cord Blood and Mocha Moms Inc., a support group for stay-at-home mothers of color, have joined together to spread the word about public cord blood donation so that all patients who are in need of a cord blood transplant will have a greater chance of receiving one.

Each year thousands of patients are diagnosed with life-threatening diseases that can be treated with a transplant of healthy blood-forming cells. As one of the sources of these cells, umbilical cord blood has the potential to greatly increase transplant opportunities for seriously ill patients, especially those from racially and ethnically diverse communities.

“The NMDP is committed to supporting the communities it serves,” said Jeffrey W. Chell, M.D., NMDP chief executive officer. “Through our partnership with Mocha Moms we will be able to raise awareness about the benefits of cord blood, as well as increase the diversity of the NMDP Cord Blood Registry. This will result in increased access to transplants for minority patients.”

Having a diverse Registry is key, as 70 percent of patients in need of a marrow or cord blood transplant will not find a matching donor in their family. Doctors look for a close match of tissue traits between donors and patients. Common traits are more likely to be found among people of the same racial or ethnic heritage. Unfortunately, while there are more than 6 million volunteer marrow donors and more than 50,000 cord blood units listed on the NMDP Registry, some patients are still unable to find a match.

With more than 2,500 members nationwide, Mocha Moms has a unique opportunity to educate mothers about their potential to address this need. “Through our partnership with the National Marrow Donor Program we will provide mothers-to-be to with accurate, reliable information when considering donating their baby’s cord blood,” said Ann Thompson, executive director of Mocha Moms Inc. “We want women to know that public cord blood donation is free and poses no medical risk to the mother or child.”

More patients could be helped if more cord blood was donated. Women in good general health who live in a community where public cord blood donation is available may be able to donate their baby’s cord blood at no charge.

Learn more about Mocha Moms Inc. at http://www.mochamoms.org.

Learn more about cord blood donation.