Campaign launched to establish Bay Area umbilical-cord blood bank

Published: 2007-11-26

SAN FRANCISCO (CNS) -- Gathered on the steps of San Francisco City Hall, St. Cecilia Elementary School students held red kites they made in memory of a fellow student who died of leukemia and helped mark the opening of a $2.5 million fundraising drive for the first umbilical-cord blood bank in the Bay Area. The Northern California Umbilical-Cord Blood Bank will provide stem cells for transplantation into cancer patients as an alternative to bone-marrow transplants, which are in limited supply and are painful for donors and recipients. The blood bank is sponsored by the Joanne Pang Foundation, named for the St. Cecilia fourth-grader who died of leukemia in 2003 at the age of 9. "There are 70 conditions or diseases that can be effectively treated by stem cells," said Scott Hildula, president of the foundation. In remarks at the Nov. 15 gathering, Dr. Jordan Wilbur, a pediatric oncologist, said a quarter of children with leukemia cannot be cured because suitable bone-marrow donors cannot be found. With umbilical-cord blood donated by mothers, "we now have the potential to cure all patients," he said.

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