Every so often a story comes along that is truly amazing, and if you’re ready for a really uplifting story then you should hear about Chloe Levine.

She is a toddler who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy after it became apparent that she wasn’t developing like she should have. She didn’t have control over the right side of her body and instead of crawling as a baby she shuffled along using only her left side.

Her parents had banked her cord blood when she was born and this made her eligible for a clinical trial to treat cerebral palsy. She participated in the clinical trial and saw almost immediate results! Her right arm is no longer pinned to her side and she can run and catch a ball with both arms, which are two things her parents never thought she would ever do. Other young children have experienced similar successes with this treatment. ( Watch the short video )

Cerebral palsy is only one of the many illnesses that use cord blood stem cells therapy . Parents who seek out treatment for their children using cord blood will agree that despite the cost involved in banking the blood, it can be completely worth it. Just ask Chloe’s parents if it was worth the effort and cost and they’ll agree that cord blood banking changed the life of their daughter.

Watch the video

Find out more about cord blood banking

Sign up for cord blood banking with CBR

We all know about the controversy over stem cell research. As well as other sources, the most well-know type of stem cells are those found in human embryos, which are destroyed to harvest the stem cells.

Scientists have made great advances in finding ethical sources of stem cells, but now Australian researchers have discovered a potential goldmine of stem cells – in breastmilk!

Unborn babies are basically made from stem cells, the placenta supports stem cells, umbilical cord blood contains stem cells (and companies exist who will save and store that cord blood for your baby) so researchers wondered if the next step of a baby’s development – birth, and nursing after birth – might involve stem cells too. They tested breastmilk, and discovered it did indeed contain stem cells.

Scientists still don’t understand much about what the function of these stem cells are, but breastmilk is ethical, widely available and inexpensive for researchers to use. If the breastmilk stem cells can be used in place of embryonic stem cells, then scientists will potentially be able to use them in therapies for an enormous range of diseases like cancer, kidney disease, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Nice work, Australian scientists!

Source – Science Alert: Breastmilk Contains Stem Cells