Have you ever wondered what happens when cord blood is banked? What happens if your child needs it later in life due to an illness or other disability? So many steps are being made to advance the research and amazing uses of cord blood stem cells today. It is easy to dismiss the idea of using stem cells as new, radical, and perhaps not something likely to happen soon because of the way it is often portrayed as new and in the experimental stage.

Some parents are stepping up to bank the blood of their newborns and have been for a few years now. Some have chosen private banking, while others have chosen to use public banks. Thanks to banking the blood of their newborn, one couple in Sacramento, California have seen dramatic improvement in their son’s condition. The two year old had been diagnosed with cerebal palsy shortly after birth, but thanks to being injected with his own stem cells, he is showing fewer signs of the disorder. His parents are praising the preservation of his cord blood and the injection of the stem cells.

According to his parents, Dallas had not spoken previously, nor laughed. His father expressed great joy at finally being able to hear the laughter of his son. Thanks to the accidental discovery of Cord
Blood Registry, the world’s largest family cord blood stem cell bank. The couple decided to spend the money to cover the cost of processing and storage, since this may have been their only chance to have a child due to conception difficulties.

Last July, the couple decided to allow doctors at Duke University to infuse Dallas’ own stem cells back into his system in an experimental approach to helping his disorder. According to the family, within 5 days Dallas was a new child, clapping, laughing, and reacting as never before.

For more information on Dallas and his recovery, visit MSNBC and The Early Show Video.