Child with Cancer?

A similar question has been asked, but I want to ask it again:

If you had a child with cancer, would you have another baby to save the ill child's life?

What if the umbilical cord blood could save the ill child's life (the stem cells from the umbilical cord blood can be used instead of bone marrow). Umbilical cord blood is usually discarded, but can be taken directly after birth with NO discomfort to the baby. The stem cells in the blood can be used for a bone marrow transplant...and a donation from a full sibling has the lowest risk of rejection from the ill child.

Would you have another?

To Haley: You are absolutely right...there is only a 25 percent chance of a match for bone marrow. With cord blood, it only needs to be a 4/6 HLA match, rather than a 6/6 because the cells are less mature. Chances of having a match are a bit higher. :) We are pregnant again (26 weeks), but chose to do so because we would love to have another child... However, we will be storing her cord blood using a designated cord blood transplant program. Just in case ... (our child has neuroblastoma). Chances are we will never need it...my daughter is doing really well! Also, they tend to do autologous BMT's first. You just never know how treatments can change over time, though!! Thank you for your answer!

I hope you are doing well after treatment ... good luck to you and God Bless!

No, not for that purpose, aboslutly NOT.

The chances arent that high the sibling would be a match for one. Two, cord blood doesnt have to be that closly matched. Chances are, if cord blood is an option, there are already donated banked units that would match.

Second, that breeds a whole lot of debate about abuse. Psychologically (even if its not true) if the child knows, he/she will feel resentment and feel unloved. If you had them in the first place for that reason, what is to stop you from using them their whole life for those reasons. You are basically turning your child into a medical slave.

Now, if you want to bank cord blood and use it later, fine. But please do not have a child for those sole purposes.

Chances are, by the time pregnancy occurs and child is carried full term to birth, it will be too late. Preg is 9-10 months. It can take months if not longer to become preg. Then this begs the question, what if the other child cant wait. Do you give premature birth to the baby to get the cord blood, probably killing the baby to save your other child's life?

I dont remember the name of the episode, but CSI featured an ep where this happened. The older sibling felt guilty for putting the younger through that crap. In the show, the older actually ended up needing 3 or 4 transplant over years, plus some other donations, and finally the parents were forcing the medical child to give a kidney to the sick child.

I know thats just tv, but your question proves that it happens in real life. Do you really value your child so much that you would put your child and the baby you would be having through the emotional and psychological torture of that?

If this is just hypothetical, I apologize for using the terms you. Just makes it more personal.


BTW, cord blood IS autologous. Auto simply means from a donor rather than your own cells.

EDIT: You are already having your child, and admit it or not this was clearly something you thought about when deciding to have the baby.

I suggest your family go through counseling. I also suggest you recieve some psychological training so that you know how to make this positive for everyone involved. You may be able to avoid negative feelings and hopefully everyone one will be happy or whatever if you know the psychology behind the negative feelings... what causes them and how to change any negative thoughts. You want your baby growing up happy that they saved their older siblings life, not depressed or unloved because despite what you say all they see is how much you love the other sibling and not them.

That is a duh question, YES by all means if it were possible.

If it would help my child then yes.I'd love the 2nd one just as much as the first so why not? It could save a life.I'd do it will no questions asked.Because I love my child enough to give a little of my self to save them.
Love Tiff XOXO

I would do anything and everything humanly possible to save my child's life:)

Well, there are problems with this scenario.

If it were guaranteed that the newborn was an exact match for his/her sibling, then yes, however, there is only a 25% chance that the full sibling will be a full match. The chances of having a direct match rises when there is a larger number of siblings but it is still not guaranteed. Believe me, I have had both a kidney and a bone marrow transplant and I am one of seven children and none of them were a match.

So, no. I wouldn't have another child for the sole purpose of saving my other child's life.