Castle Medical Center Celebrates Their 1st Transplant

On February 10th, 2012, Hawai‘i Cord Blood Bank notified the Labor & Delivery Staff at the Vera Zilber Birth Center of Castle Medical Center that an umbilical cord blood unit collected at their facility was transplanted in a young patient suffering from a life-threatening blood disease. This was Castle Medical Center's first donated cord blood unit to be utilized in a transplant since the hospital joined Hawai‘i Cord Blood Bank's Program in 2007.

Castle Medical Center was the 5th O‘ahu hospital to join the Hawai‘i Cord Blood Bank's efforts in collecting donated umbilical cord blood units for public cord blood banking. As a collection site, participating OB physicians and midwives along with the nursing staff have collected over 300 donated umbilical units since 2007. Of those 300 units, over 70 have been successfully banked (or stored) for future use. This transplant, while Castle Medical Center's first, is the 95th transplant from all public units collected in Hawai‘i. These units have traveled the globe, touching lives in a variety of different countries as well as in various places across the United States.

This community based approach and Hawai‘i's unique racial demographic makes Hawai‘i Cord Blood Bank a national model for a system of cord blood collection and banking that is truly capable of reflecting the full spectrum of ethnic diversity within the population it seeks to serve.

Hawai‘i Cord Blood Bank is so happy to share this great news with our family, friends, and supporters. Due to the amazing generosity and kindness of donors, physicians, midwives, and nursing staff, we can continue our hope-giving and life-saving efforts.

We truly appreciate and respect you all.

Featured:
(Tamy DeLeon, RN, MSN, Sharon Love, RNC, Jude Hunke, RN, CNM, Cindy Green, RNC, MSN, Jodi Goodwin, RNC, IBCLC, Nikki DeHeart, RNC, IBCLC, Christina Johnson, RNC, MS, IBCLC, Director, Renee Fujiyama, RN, Tricia Lorie, RN, and Gail Stone, RNC)