Legal Rights of Parents for Cord Blood Collection

There was once a time, when we had just initiated StemLife, that I was personally visiting obstetricians to let them know about our service. It was feet-killing work for the initial years, long hours in formal attire and smart shoes, sitting in many a doctor's waiting room for hours before the patients would clear out and the obstetricians could spare a few precious moments to hear us out.

Inevitably, one of the questions that would come up among the more astute clinicians would be regarding the legal implications of collecting umbilical cord blood (perhaps they have experienced litigious clientele themselves before). They would ask what the implications are should the collection not be successful or if there was an emergency and the cord blood could not be collected due to some unpredicted situation. StemLife has a very specific form and clause for this, nothing is absolutely guaranteed and we explain very carefully to parents that in the event of an emergency, the life of mum and babe comes first.

In the same vein, I thought that this article was interesting in that Professor Colin McGuckin has brought up another scenario in which parents would have possible legal recourse with doctors.

That cord blood stem cells have been harnessed for regenerative medical purposes cannot be denied. From trials being conducted on Type 1 diabetes in Florida to Cerebral Palsy at Duke, parents of these afflicted children were not able to foresee the fate of their child nor to take any measured steps to prevent the problem from happening. Doctors also have no way of guaranteeing the safety and wellness of mother and baby. Although advanced equipment and well trained staff can help in mitigating risk factors, everyone appreciates that there are no absolutes in life.

Parents world over who have healthy children, born without any genetic condition and fault may or may not appreciate what parents who have a lifetime of sleepness nights ahead go through without a shred of hope or any help from clinicians who refer to text books and tell parents that there is no cure.


I do appreciate that not every parent can or will want to bank their cord blood stem cells for a variety of reasons but it would seem to me that it would be a good idea for clinicians to cover themselves by at least letting the patients know that the service exists and a stamp on their folders to indicate that they've been told so as to pre-empt that unforseeable case in the future.

StemLife Berhad Pakar Sel Stem Darah Tali Pusat dalam Program NONA TV3

Sel Stem Darah Tali Pusat, Sel Stem Sum-Sum Tulang, Sel Stem Embrio, Transplantasi Sel Stem, Transplantasi Sum-Sum Tulang, Leukemia, Talasemia, Limfoma, Simpanan Krio, Bank Sel Stem Darah Tali Pusat – Apakah maknanya semua ini?, Apakah kepentingnya? Apakah perbezaan diantara kesemuanya?

Assalamualaikum WBK,

Salam Sejahtera kepada rakan-rakan saya sekelian, ibu-bapa, bakal ibu-bapa, pengunjung/pembaca blog ini.

Pelbagai atikel, rencana, dan pendapat telah dan sentiasa diterbitkan dalam akhbar-akhbar serta majalah-majalah tempatan, antarabangsa serta laman web-laman web seluruh dunia. Jumlahnya memang tidak terkira. Ramai pembaca akan mengalami perasaan buta huruf dan kadang-kadang tersesat dalam kegelapan kerana terlalu banyak pencapaian yang dihebohkan, pendapat yang berbeza, serta kontroversi yang tidak dijelaskan. Banyak atikel-atikel ini juga agak teknikal dan saintifik tanpa mengesyorkan bagaimana teknologi ini dapat memberi manfaat kepada kami di Malaysia buat masa ini mahupun masa hadapan.

Saya akan cuba untuk memberi pendapat saya dari seorang pengamal sains dan akan cuba menterjemahkan atikel-atikel serta isu-isu yang tidak begitu rumit tetapi sentiasa lebih rumit dari yang sebenarnya.

Atikel-atikel yang telah diterbitkan di akhbar-akhbar tempatan serta seluruh dunia akan diteliti. Saya juga akan cuba menterjemahkan mesej-mesej dalam laman web-laman web antarabangsa seperti parentsguide.com dan banyak lagi.

Sebagai permulaan blog ini, saya ingin menjemput anda untuk menonton program NONA dari TV3 pada 23hb Mac 2008:



Nona TV3



Saya harap program ini dapat memberi anda sedikit latarbelakang tentang topik ini dan akan membolehkan Saya meneliti topik-topik yang lebih teknikal pada masa yang akan datang.



Sekian buat masa ini.. Wslm.

Installation of Malaysia's 13th King & Launch of StemLife's New Services

Malaysia's new king from Terengganu, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin was installed last week on the 26th of April and it was declared a bank holiday. There are beautiful yellow posters all over Kuala Lumpur paying tribute to the new King, with words "Daulat Tuanku", which I think means "Long live the King" in Malay.

The King and the Queen look really resplendent in their royal gold outfits and as my colleagues and I drove by the signs, we were commenting on how complementary they were in terms of their looks and how attractive the Queen is.

A GOOD DAY FOR A LAUNCH

It was also a good day for StemLife as we launched our new services in the presence of our guest of honor -Malaysian jazz singer, mother and StemLife client- Sheila Majid. She rang us to ask about StemLife's newborn umbilical cord blood stem cell banking service for her newest addition to her family and we asked her if she would kindly grace our event as a client and guest-of-honor. She said to us: " I am happy to do it because it's a good thing, doesn't hurt anyone and certainly important that other parents should know about it" (she missed the previous baby's stem cells as she delivered early).

If you're a StemLife client already or a mum-to-be who's considering stem cell banking, I'm really excited to share news on our latest stem cell services with you.


StemGuard

Parent Question: " Can I afford transplantation if it comes to pass?"
StemLife Answer: Yes, you can with StemGuard. A specially designed transplant insurance policy that allows parents to cover the costs of transplantation should it be required in the future. Parents are offered very affordable rates (from 20 cents per day) for transplantation costs in Malaysian hospitals. It covers most major transplantable disorders todate.


StemAssured

Parent Question: " Will my baby's stem cells be alright after years of storage?"
StemLife Answer: "Yes, StemLife is confident that your baby's stem cells are safe with us and we're willing to provide a money back guarantee."


Stem21

Parent Question: "What will happen to my baby's stem cells if we're not around?"
StemLife Answer: "Not to worry, we'll still take care of them for you. Some of StemLife's parents have asked us what will happen to their babies' stem cell unit should they no longer be around and the minor be unable to pay . StemLife takes a compassionate stance and offers to bank the unit at no further costs to the child until they are 21."


The news was reported in several papers, Business Times carried an article, as did the Star newspaper.

If you're already a StemLife Parent, you'll be receiving a mailer pretty soon explaining how the programs work. Please bear with us, but we're working on making our services better.

As for everyone else, look out for StemLife's new service logos and let me know if you think they're nice :).

StemLife Malaysia Clients' Interesting Blogs

This entry is an acknowledgement to all the postings that I could find on the internet by StemLife clients or bloggers with an interest in StemLife. Note that they have all been bloggers longer than I have and often have much nicer pictures on their site too!


ADULT STEM CELL (PBSC) CLIENT:

StemLife parents! I hope you've been receiving your newsletters announcing our latest stem cell banking program for adults. No longer do you have to be too worried that you will deprive your baby of its stem cells should another family member require it. Now with our adult stem cell program, the technology is available and you can bank your own stem cells for your own use.

One of our recent Adult Stem Cell Clients based in Hong Kong banked his stem cells for future possible sports injuries.
Read his reasons for banking here.


HAPPY STEMLIFE MOTHERS:

This StemLife client has blogged about her lovely baby Isabelle.

Sue's son Izac has the blissful sleep expression, its really nice to be able to see all the wonderful pictures.

Baby Kaiwen sounds like he's famous at a very young age! His mum even has videos of him on the blog! There are some nice animated photos of him.


PRO-ACTIVE STEMLIFE FATHERS:

James wrote about us back in 2004 when his baby was born. I noted your comments James :) our brochures have changed but not our "kick-ass" logo*

Daddy Nick's blogs are pretty entertaining! Check out his entry on us for his son Kevin.


STEMLIFE CHINESE FATHER BLOGGER (the only one I could find so far):

Mr. Redrabit, thank you for sharing your experience and recommending us. We're delighted that you took up our cord blood banking program.


CONSIDERING PARENTS:

The owner of this blog is considering which stem cell bank to go with... (thanks Daddy Nick for letting her know about StemLife!)

A blogger who goes by the name Hot Mama


DOCTOR BLOGGER:

Thanks John! Glad you enjoyed our talk on Stem Cells and please help us ensure that patients who might benefit from stem cell therapy get to know about us.


GENERAL INTEREST IN STEMLIFE'S SERVICES:

This lady blogger read about us in a magazine whilst doing her hair.

A gentleman heard our presentation and thinks he'll do it for his next baby. I think he has some interesting philosophical points.


If I've missed anyone out, I apologise in advance and please let me know. I'd be happy to update the page. Thai StemLife and StemLife Indonesia Clients, if you have blogs, please also send your postings my way.


*The significance behind the StemLife logo? Check it out in the next few entries...