St Albans woman learns her donated cord blood saved a child's life in Australia
Jade Reed's stem cells were the first ever issued by the NHS Cord Blood Bank
A woman whose cord blood cells were the first ever issued by the NHS 30 years ago has learned they saved the life of a child in Australia.
Jade Reed, 30, is sharing her story to help celebrate the 30th year of the NHS Cord Blood Bank, the world’s fourth largest public cord blood bank.
Umbilical cord blood is rich in stem cells, which can be used to treat many different cancers, immune deficiencies and genetic disorders.
At the moment, several NHS hospitals have the ability to collect cord blood for donation.
This happens after a baby is born and the cord has been cut.
Countries around the world have agreements to share the cells owing to the need to find as close a match as possible for each patient.
When a patient needs a stem cell transplant, a search takes place across the world to find a match.
Ms Reed’s cord blood stem cells were donated when she was born in 1996 and they became the first cord blood cells ever issued by the NHS cord blood bank in 1998.
She has only just learned her stem cells were sent to save the life of a seriously ill child in Australia.
Miss Reed, from St Albans, Hertfordshire, said: “It’s amazing, it’s unbelievable my cord blood went all that way. It’s incredible it made it all the way to Australia.
“My best friend had blood cancer as a child so it seems fitting to have helped someone in similar circumstances, that means a lot.
“My cord blood went across the world to save the life of another child, when I was a toddler, it’s insane, just mad.
“It’s lovely to know more about the patient and I hope they are doing well.”
Miss Reed said her mother has always told her she donated the umbilical cord blood.
“It’s amazing it could help, it’s done what we wanted the donation to do – save a life.
“You’re not going to use it, there’s nothing you can really do with it, why not donate it to help someone?”
Her mother Sharon Keough, 52, also from St Albans, said: “It’s amazing, I am blown away and really pleased, especially as we helped a child.
“All you can hope is that they have gone on to lead a happy and healthy life after we gave them the chance they needed.
“At the time, I thought it was quite amazing you could donate your cord blood and was happy to.
“We’ve done a good thing, why wouldn’t you do that? I’m very proud of us, and it was so easy.
“I couldn’t ask for more, to have had 30 years of Jade and to know we’ve saved a life.”
Alex Ross, head of NHSBT’s Cord Blood Bank, said: “It is a special moment – our 30th year – to thank the tens of thousands of mums and babies who have donated cord blood over the last three decades, and continue to do so at the maternity units we work with.
“The generosity of new mums means something that is otherwise thrown away goes on to save lives here and around the world – helping seriously ill patients, many of them children.”
The bank currently has around 20,000 cord blood units and more than 1,000 have been issued, helping more than 965 patients across the world.
The bank has made stem cell transplants possible for 355 adults and children in the UK, and 613 people in 35 different countries, including Australia, America, Brazil and Hong Kong.
In January 2021, Dylan Jeffs, then aged two, from Sandwell, Birmingham, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
Despite treatment, he relapsed and, after a worldwide search, a match was found in the NHS Cord Blood Bank.
His stem cell transplant went ahead on Christmas Eve 2024.
His mother, Rachael Jeffs, 37, said: “It was scary waiting to see if there was a match.
“Without the cord blood transplant, Dylan wouldn’t still be here, he was so poorly.
“The transplant was the only option to save him, it saved his life.
“You have so much going on when you’re having a baby, it’s just amazing of mums to do it, it’s incredible.”
Dylan, now eight, is back at school and enjoying his favourite activities, including collecting Pokemon cards.
The NHS collects cord blood at University College Hospital and St George’s Hospital, London and Luton and Dunstable Hospital, Luton.
The charity Anthony Nolan also runs similar services in hospitals.