Watching my dad slowly die from Alzheimer’s disease (14 years in all) gave me lots of time to see “de-generation” up close.

From a charming, successful man who could speak 7 languages and tell jokes in each one –  he died a shell of his former self. Through it all I used to wish we could “regenerate” him in some way – restoring him somehow. But it wasn’t to be.

Just a year after he died, as we were about to have our second daughter, I saw an advertisement for cord blood banking in a US magazine. It seemed like a great way to “future-proof” our new baby – keeping her precious stem cells in case she needed them for medical treatment in her later life. So we registered on-line, full of hope and excitement.

As soon as the kit arrived, it was clear that the airline schedules and customs clearances meant our daughter’s cord blood couldn’t get to the US within the 32 hour cord blood processing deadline. The disappointment was overwhelming.

It seemed so unreasonable that NZ families weren’t going to be able to save their baby’s cord blood. Who knew how many lives could be saved in the future?

From frustration to determination…

It was clear that this country needed a cord blood bank. And I was determined to make it a reality.

12 months later, CordBank was born. We were the first family cord blood bank in the region, licensed by the Ministry of Health under the highest cord blood collection and processing standards worldwide.

So while we weren’t able to keep Valentina’s cord blood we are now storing many thousands of other babies’ cord bloods. Already three CordBank families have seen life-changing results from using their children’s cord blood – two for brain injury and one for cancer.

It’s been especially inspiring to see how their stored cord blood has given Maia and Frances a second chance at life. And I am grateful to have helped them along the way.

Jenni Raynish

Co-founder