Donated umbilical blood stored in Umbilical blood bank ‘Ana Rukavina’ for the first time!
For the first time umbilical blood rich in mother cells was stored in Umbilical Blood Bank for the first time in Croatia!
Mother and father of the child are Ana Rukavina Foundation friends, voluntary blood donors; they donated their child’s blood for the public Bank to save someone’s life one day.
“We are happy and proud that our baby is the first with blood stored in public Mother Cell Bank. We hope other parents will follow in our steps so mother cells taken at birth may eventually help someone”, the happy mother said.
“Mother and child are perfectly alright; blood rich with mother cells is stored at the Institute of clinical transfusiology of KBC Zagreb, where the Bank is situated”, said Marija Rukavina, head of Ana Rukavina Foundation, who initiated Bank foundation.
Blood stored in public Umbilical Blood Bank becomes a part of the Registry of potential bone marrow donors, with almost 25 000 donors so far.
“Samples stored in public Bank may serve for the treatment of out-of-family patients; blood collected from umbilicus post partum can replace diseased bone marrow by transplantation in case of illness”, says Ph.D. Branka Ćepulić-Golubić, head of Umbilical Cell Bank.
On occasion of European week of leukemia and lymphoma, Ana Rukavina Foundation announced by assistant Ph. D. Mirando Mrsić: “I’m inviting all the friends of the Foundation to join us on Sunday, 8th July and to mark with dignity European week of leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Join us on Bundek lake at 3 p.m. in sport’s games and great barbecue and starting from 9 p.m. enjoy a great humanitarian concert of Massimo Savić.”
We wholeheartedly thank all dear and numerous journalists who answered our invitation to the press conference, our friends from Millenium promotion, particularly Eva and Martina, who have helped us to organize everything beautifully – special thanks to the young family who were the first to make this great and generous step. We wholeheartedly wish them all the happiness in this world!