Umbilical Cord

The news about the opening of a cord blood bank at Mercy Medical Center is very exciting. I applaud all of those involved who have provided expectant parents in Baltimore with an option for donating cord blood stem cells. But our work is not done, as the important job ahead is continued education on all options for cord blood stem cells. As a scientist — but more importantly, as the mother of a child who passed away after a long search for a stem cell donor — I know the difference this can make for those suffering with life-threatening illnesses.

It was the voice on the other end of the phone that kept Neysan Sturdivant calm on the night of Sept. 4 after his wife, sitting next to him, yelled, "Stop the car!" In a second, the Severn couple's minivan was on the side of Route 32 in the darkness. Sturdivant's wife, Gillian, was giving birth, minutes away from Howard County General Hospital. He ran to her side of the vehicle and opened the door to help — but didn't know what to do. He asked 911 for help. "I had the phone in my ear," Neysan Sturdivant recalled, saying that most of what immediately followed "is a blur.

In an effort to battle debilitating illnesses such as sickle cell anemia, Mercy Medical Center announced Monday the state's first public program allowing parents to donate and bank the stem cells from their newborns' umbilical cords. The stem cells are important because they are the same type as those found in bone marrow and can be used in transplants and to treat 90 deadly diseases that affect thousands of Americans each year, including certain types of cancers and blood disorders.

An appointment with a pediatrician Thursday was a "big relief" to Katie Bauer, whose seven-month pregnancy with rare "momo" twins was at first confusing and then exhausting. "It's all behind them, these guys are doing just fine," Dr. Joseph A. Garcia said after he finished immunizing Nolan and Brooks Bauer, identical boys who developed in the same fetal sac, exposing them to dangers not encountered during most pregnancies. The boys were born Feb. 13. Babies like Nolan and Brooks have at least one chance in 10 of dying during the last weeks of pregnancy or the first month after birth — so Garcia's upbeat assessment at two months was an important milestone for the Perry Hall family.

Pregnant with her third child, Placida Blackwood first heard about cord blood banks in her obstetrician's waiting room. The pamphlet didn't leave much of an impression. What's the point of paying some company hundreds of dollars to store a little blood from her baby's umbilical cord? "I didn't think I would need it, and I certainly couldn't afford it," says Blackwood, who is 28 and lives in Cockeysville. The next time she heard about cord blood was a few months later, when doctors told her that her oldest son had leukemia.

A week after taking a refresher course in emergency procedures, an Anne Arundel County police officer put his training to the test by delivering a baby boy in a sandwich shop parking lot. Officer Jerald Fiesler of Edgewater had stopped at a nearby Subway for dinner Thursday night before his shift started when a man rushed inside and frantically called for help. Tom Fontaine said his wife, Nicole, was in the parking lot, having a baby. Now. The couple were on their way to Anne Arundel Medical Center about 10:30 p.m. when they realized they wouldn't arrive at the Annapolis hospital in time.

Baltimore police were seeking clues yesterday to the identity of a newborn boy whose body was found Saturday -- the umbilical cord still attached -- floating in the harbor at Canton.Detective Terry McLarney of the homicide squad said passers-by saw the dead infant -- so decomposed its race could not be determined -- in the water near Boston and O'Donnell streets about 6 p.m. Police were waiting for autopsy results."A big issue for us is whether the child was alive prior to being placed in the water or if there were complications at birth -- whether it's a murder," Detective McLarney said.

VACCINES: The House of Delegates gave final approval and sent to the governor a bill that would permit pharmacists to administer influenza vaccines. The measure, which has been approved by the state Senate, would permit pharmacists around the state to operate under rules that govern nurses at company-sponsored flu shot days, allowing them to give shots and sprays to people older than age 18. Currently, only registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians and physician assistants are allowed to administer immunizations in the state.

ATLANTA -- Medical history unfolded at Egleston Children's Hospital on Friday at noon with the world's first umbilical cord blood transplant for sickle cell anemia.As a syringe of dark red blood plunged into the intravenous line of Keone Penn, relatives and friends bowed their heads in prayer and talked of miracles, cures and gratitude.They also gently told the center of attention to wake up."Hey, Keone. God's working it out just like we said. Wake up and see your miracle happening," said Beverly Kennedy, a close friend of Leslie Penn, Keone's mother.

NEW YORK -- Blood from a newborn infant's umbilical cord and placenta, normally discarded in the delivery room, can provide urgently needed treatment for patients with leukemia and other diseases that damage the blood and immune system, scientists reported yesterday.In a study published in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, and announced at a news conference at the New York Blood Center in Manhattan, researchers from Duke University and the blood center said blood from the umbilical cord and the placenta had successfully taken the place of bone-marrow transplantation in 25 patients, mostly children.

The father panicked. He had pulled into the breakdown lane of Route 100 in Anne Arundel County, just as Melissa Dicus gave birth to a girl in the front seat of his Chevrolet Impala. The infant, struggling to breathe, had turned blue. Loren Edward Weinstein raced around the car, grabbing blankets and shirts from the back seat. That's what Maryland State Police Sgt. Daniel McLain saw as he drove into work, slowed by Monday morning's rush-hour commute near Route 10 in Pasadena. McLain stopped his unmarked cruiser and rushed to the Impala, urged on by a frantic Weinstein, and grabbed the infant.

The news about the opening of a cord blood bank at Mercy Medical Center is very exciting. I applaud all of those involved who have provided expectant parents in Baltimore with an option for donating cord blood stem cells. But our work is not done, as the important job ahead is continued education on all options for cord blood stem cells. As a scientist — but more importantly, as the mother of a child who passed away after a long search for a stem cell donor — I know the difference this can make for those suffering with life-threatening illnesses.

In an effort to battle debilitating illnesses such as sickle cell anemia, Mercy Medical Center announced Monday the state's first public program allowing parents to donate and bank the stem cells from their newborns' umbilical cords. The stem cells are important because they are the same type as those found in bone marrow and can be used in transplants and to treat 90 deadly diseases that affect thousands of Americans each year, including certain types of cancers and blood disorders.

The idea of "roughing it" has taken on a new meaning. The Coleman outdoors company sells air mattresses with built-in alarm clocks and night lights, and tents outfitted with "integrated lighting systems" and auto-roll windows. For those who can't bear to be unplugged for any length of time, DirecTV has a portable satellite and Kampgrounds of America offers wireless Internet at most of its camp sites. With fewer people participating in outdoor activities, retailers and park officials are doing everything they can to coax them into the great outdoors.

A week after taking a refresher course in emergency procedures, an Anne Arundel County police officer put his training to the test by delivering a baby boy in a sandwich shop parking lot. Officer Jerald Fiesler of Edgewater had stopped at a nearby Subway for dinner Thursday night before his shift started when a man rushed inside and frantically called for help. Tom Fontaine said his wife, Nicole, was in the parking lot, having a baby. Now. The couple were on their way to Anne Arundel Medical Center about 10:30 p.m. when they realized they wouldn't arrive at the Annapolis hospital in time.

VACCINES: The House of Delegates gave final approval and sent to the governor a bill that would permit pharmacists to administer influenza vaccines. The measure, which has been approved by the state Senate, would permit pharmacists around the state to operate under rules that govern nurses at company-sponsored flu shot days, allowing them to give shots and sprays to people older than age 18. Currently, only registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians and physician assistants are allowed to administer immunizations in the state.

The idea of "roughing it" has taken on a new meaning. The Coleman outdoors company sells air mattresses with built-in alarm clocks and night lights, and tents outfitted with "integrated lighting systems" and auto-roll windows. For those who can't bear to be unplugged for any length of time, DirecTV has a portable satellite and Kampgrounds of America offers wireless Internet at most of its camp sites. With fewer people participating in outdoor activities, retailers and park officials are doing everything they can to coax them into the great outdoors.

Michael Sancilio, a 4-year-old leukemia victim, was to leave the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center with his parents today, and doctors say there is a chance that he'll recover from the disease.In August, Michael was the recipient of umbilical cord blood collected when his sister was born. Dr. John Wagner, Michael's physician, said the procedure appears to have the helped the youngster, who has a rare and deadly form of childhood leukemia."He has made a very unremarkable course after the transplant," Dr. John Wagner, the boy's physician, said today.

Pregnant with her third child, Placida Blackwood first heard about cord blood banks in her obstetrician's waiting room. The pamphlet didn't leave much of an impression. What's the point of paying some company hundreds of dollars to store a little blood from her baby's umbilical cord? "I didn't think I would need it, and I certainly couldn't afford it," says Blackwood, who is 28 and lives in Cockeysville. The next time she heard about cord blood was a few months later, when doctors told her that her oldest son had leukemia.

A baby girl found dead in a McDonald's restroom in Harford County Monday night was stillborn, the state medical examiner's office determined yesterday. The baby, born prematurely at 32 weeks, probably had been dead in the mother's womb for six to 24 hours before the birth, said Lt. Edward Hopkins of the county sheriff's office. "While we will continue to look at criminal intent, our focus is to find the mother for her health and well-being," Hopkins said. Sheriff's deputies, who were called to the restaurant by a store manager, found the baby face down in a toilet bowl at 8:20 p.m. An employee discovered the baby in a bathroom stall amid a large amount of blood.