Our steps to choosing ViaCord to bank our daughter's cord blood
Step 1: The science
Before looking at anything else, we first researched the science of cord blood stem cells. We used a number of un-biased resources such as the internet, our doctors and a few medical journals. We did this prior to researching the individual cord blood preservation companies.
Our first step was to decide whether cord blood preservation was right for our family.
We concluded without a doubt, that the possibility for advancement of genetic sciences, and the use of cord blood stem cells could be useful in the future.
In fact, we were surprised to learn that many children have already been cured of Leukemia by using their stem cells today!
Step 2: The opportunity
Most of us face decisions every day, and we typically delay the hard ones as long as possible. Some decisions we may even delay forever. However, the cord blood
storage decision could not be avoided. There is only one time, ever, to store the blood.
We felt it was far better to make the decision, and later realize it was not worth it, than have a lifetime of regrets.
Step 3: The finances
We quickly realized that the cost of cord blood storage, regardless of the chosen company, was significant. Similar to purchasing other insurances,
we had to make a decision if this investment was worth the cost. ViaCord's financing options allowed us to minimize the impact to our checkbook,
and we felt we could afford the investment.
Step 4: The ViaCord Choice
Next, we researched all the popular, most recognized cord blood companies. We obtained their names from our doctors and friends, and the internet.
As the research continued, we quickly found pros and cons for each company. Some were more expensive (although only slightly), others had completely different
philosophies to the storage method, delivery method, extraction method, etc.
In the end, we chose ViaCord for the following reasons:
Excellent, knowledgable customer service
Impeccable scientific credientials, including their ViaCell parent company
