Helping Kids Have New Opportunities

Your donation may help children like Ava Johnson, a sweet 3-year-old girl from San Diego, California. From the time she was old enough to put on a tutu, Ava wanted to be a dancer. When she was born, however, this seemed like it could never be a reality, because Ava has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

Doctors told her parents to prepare to raise a child who might never walk. While cerebral palsy has no cure today, treatment will often help to improve the capabilities of a child with this condition. Ava's parents were determined to try every potential treatment option available for their little ballerina, including pursuing experimental and unproven newborn stem cell therapy.

We're still trying to understand what role the stem cells had in her treatment, if any, but as Ava got older and received these therapies along with physical and occupational therapy, Ava's future began to look brighter and brighter. She took her first steps on her own, and the little girl whose mother once had to tell her that dancing could only be a dream was enrolled in a ballet class. For children like Ava, the potential of stem cell therapies offers great hope. A growing body of research provides evidence that stem cells from cord blood may be used to repair damaged or diseased tissue or organs. More research is needed.

To help improve patient lives and advance clinical research investigating the use of a cord blood stem cells as a treatment for conditions like cerebral palsy, Cord Blood Registry® (CBR®) established the Newborn Possibilities Fund. Because of your generous donation, the possibilities of helping children like Ava to use their cord blood stem cells are bright.