Mollie Forsch and Ellen Port, both of St. Louis, received the Lifeline Award from the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) on Oct. 13 at the annual First Gift sm Golf Tournament held at the Meadowbrook Country Club. The women were recognized for their innovative efforts in increasing cord blood donations, for the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank.
Forsch and Port, along with Melissa Fallon and Chris Zuckerman, were original members of The First Gift committee which was founded to support the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank, an innovative program at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center. The program allows expectant parents to donate their babies’ cord blood to help patients worldwide who need bone marrow transplants. The committee’s goal was to create community awareness of the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank, as well as encourage participation. Through the efforts of The First Gift committee, more than 75,000 families have donated their newborn babies’ cord blood to the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank.
“Without the dedication and continued support of these incredibly dynamic and generous women, the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank would likely not have survived the early years of building its inventory and credibility,” said Donna Regan, executive director, St. Louis Cord Blood Bank. “Their ongoing support allows the program to continue its mission of saving lives.”
Since the beginning, Forsch and Port have championed The First Gift Golf Event helping to raise nearly $1 million to support the bank’s activities. This was the 13th year for this annual event.
“The NMDP relies on its network of participating public cord blood banks, like the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank, to help expand the number and diversity of available cord blood units,” said Kathy Welte, director of the NMDP’s Center for Cord Blood. “Mollie Forsch, Ellen Port, and The First Gift Golf Tournament have helped increase the likelihood that all patients will find a match. This is a really important partnership.”
The NMDP Lifeline Award is presented to an individual or group that demonstrates support of programs and services that specifically help increase awareness of the importance of cord blood donation and increased recruitment efforts. Winners are chosen by a select panel of NMDP leaders and representatives from across the country.
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The St. Louis Cord Blood Bank operates at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center and is affiliated with the St. Louis University School of Medicine.
Cord blood is the blood that remains in the placenta and umbilical cord when a baby is born. It contains adult stems cells that can be used to treat over 70 diseases including leukemia, lymphoma, and sickle cell anemia. The collection procedure is completely painless for mother and baby. It does not interfere with the birthing process. And, if there is any concern about the safety of mother or baby, collection does not occur.
Established in 1995, the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank is the second largest independent public cord blood bank in the world. It accepts only donations of umbilical cord blood, then processes, stores, and makes them available to patients in need of stem cell therapy. These cord blood units are listed with the NMDP. Mothers and families interested in donating cord blood should call 314-268-2787 or 888-453-2673 for more information.
The NMDP connects patients with donors of bone marrow and cord blood. It acts as a single point of access to these resources for transplant facilities across the nation and worldwide. As a result, it helps people of every racial and ethnic background live longer, healthier lives. For more information call 800-627-7692 or visit www.marrow.org.
