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A world first stem cell transplant for a tiny heart patient
A U.S mother believes her son is alive today because of a world first umbilical stem cell transplant. Little Bennett Harbison was diagnosed before he was born in 2018 with hypo plastic left heart syndrome – a condition his mother Jennifer had never heard of. It means the left side of Bennett’s heart did…
Read MoreGrandparents are big cost savers when it comes to childcare
New research out of the UK has found grandparents have saved parents more than NZ$30 million in childcare fees. Insurance company Ageas surveyed families and calculated around two thirds of the country’s grandparents regularly help with looking after their grandchildren for an average of 11.3 hours a week and saving each family around…
Read MoreLittle Emma’s cord blood success story
Emma was born in Ukraine in 2015 but before her birth her parents were told she had spina bifida. Spina bifida is a birth defect in which there is incomplete closing of the vertebrae in the spine and the membranes around the spinal cord during early development of pregnancy. Thanks to one…
Read MoreLittle Lucas and his stem cell transplant
To look at five-year-old Lucas Gutman you wouldn’t know he is living with a congenital heart defect. His mum Jennifer says he is every bit as active as a typical kid – but the Ohio boy was born with HLHS – hypoplastic left heart syndrome – and became just the second such patient…
Read MoreUnderstanding teenage boys
Teen boys are a much-maligned group but we’re told beyond the stereotypes of being hard to talk to, always hungry, restless and accident prone they are generally big hearted youths yearning to be understood and valued. Teen boys face biological drivers which make their struggle to venture into independence very real and which…
Read MoreThinking of others starts really, really young
Toddlers might not be as self-absorbed as you think. A study into altruism in 19-month-olds found that even when hungry, they would give a tasty snack to a stranger in need. The team at the University of Washington’s Institution for Learning and Brain Sciences studied nearly 100 toddlers and found not only do…
Read MoreHow Maia’s cord blood changed her life and the lives of her family
How Maia’s cord blood changed her life and the lives of her family Maia Friedlander was the first NZ child to be successfully treated with her own cord blood after suffering brain damage at birth. Thankfully her parents, Jillian and Daniel, had this option because they had saved Maia’s cord blood stem cells with…
Read MoreKeeping Shai’s memory alive
Keeping Shai’s memory alive Frances Verter gave up a career at NASA to dedicate her life to telling expectant parents about the importance of cord blood banking. When her daughter Shai was born, Frances did not know cord blood banking was an option and had no idea of how life-changing these stem cells could…
Read MoreSaving Frances’ cord blood saved her life
Saving Frances’ cord blood saved her life This is a cord blood story that is both heart-wrenching and inspirational. When Frances Everall’s family banked her cord blood with CordBank in 2002, they never dreamed it would be needed so soon and so dramatically. But at four years old their daughter was diagnosed with a…
Read MoreWhy friend networks are so important
If your friends are friends you are likely to feel more supported. A study done by Ohio State University has found people whose friends and family know and like each other feel they have more social support. The study author, David Lee, says the more cohesive and dense your network of friends and family is,…
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