Give a meaningful gift that will last a lifetime this holiday season

With the holiday season just around the corner, it’s time to start crossing off the items on your gift list. A cozy throw blanket for Mom to curl up with, a great book for Dad, concert-tickets for your picky niece. The list can seem endless. And how about those parents-to-be in your family? It’s easy to get caught up shopping for them – after all – they need everything!

Before you brave the chaos and hit the toy store for that must-have musical toy or stroller accessory, consider giving a more meaningful gift with benefits that could potentially last a lifetime. The gift of Cord Blood & Peristem^TM stem cell banking.

“Banking Cord Blood & Peristem^TM stem cells offer the security of having immediate access to potentially life-saving cells, should a parent ever need them for their children or possibly even themselves,” comments Dr. Clifford Librach, medical director, CReATe Cord Blood Bank. “Investing in your child’s health makes as much sense as saving for their education or other life cycle events.”

Like anything to do with saving for a child’s future, banking cord blood requires somewhat of an investment. To help make it easier especially during the busy holiday season, CReATe Cord Blood Bank offers an exclusive gift registry service to clients, to allow their loved ones to help contribute to their new baby’s entry into the world in a meaningful way. The package includes gift registry coupons and free cord blood information brochures with envelopes for loved ones. And, CReATe is the only bank in Canada licensed to harvest and store Peristem™ cells alongside cord blood.

Cord Blood is the blood remaining in the placenta and umbilical cord typically discarded after a baby is delivered. This blood is a rich source of stem cells that are the building blocks of our blood and immune systems. With their regenerative capabilities, these stem cells could replace critical cells in tissues all over the body that have been destroyed or damaged by disease.

The umbilical cord tissue is rich in a different type of stem cell called mesenchymal stem cells (Peristem™). Peristem^TM stem cells are the building blocks of all the structural tissues (bone, cartilage, muscle, fibre and fat) of our body and could be used for tissue regeneration and repair. Peristem^TM stem cells are currently being investigated for use in the management of damaged heart tissue, birth defects, treatment of burns, and in the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as MS, Juvenile Diabetes and Crohn’s disease.

“In preparation for our baby’s arrival, we were given a lot of great hand-me-downs so we didn’t need to register for larger items like a stroller or crib,” says Vanessa Burke, CReATe client. “Banking cord blood was very important to us and using the gift registry service offered by CReATe was a convenient way for our friends and family to contribute.”

Giving the gift of Cord Blood & Peristem™ stem cell banking through CReATe’s gift registry service is the perfect way to show those parents-to-be in your life that you care. To learn more about CReATe Gift Registry visit http://www.createcordbank.com/gift_registry.html