Big Month of May for Maddie

This week was Opening Day in the brand new Yankee Stadium, which prompted me to pull up this great baby picture of Maddie in the old ballpark. Maddie has come a long way since that day in May 2002, and is coming up on a big month of May 2009. We've got the first grade class trip to the Bronx Zoo, as well as Incredible Kid Day, when teary-eyed parents head in to Mendham Township Elementary School to read a letter to their Incredible Kid in front of the entire first grade class. Don't worry, I'm an authorized chaperone this year (which means motion sickness prone Roxy will have to ride The Bus to the Bronx!), so I will be sure to share some photos from the Bronx Zoo trip and I will also be sure to post the letters that Rex and I write to our Incredible Maddie.

Looking back on when Maddie was born, I'm glad that Rex and I decided to "bank" her umbilical cord blood. While I thank God every day that we've never had to deal with a life threatening disease or serious childhood illness for either of our daughters, one of the benefits of storing umbilical cord blood is that, once you get past the nights when your newborn is waking you up every two or three hours screaming out demands, you can sleep better at night knowing your family has that extra protection in place. If you or someone you know is expecting, enroll with Cryo-Cell by April 19th, 2009, and you or your friend will get a free Baby Bjorn to carry that baby around -- that's until he or she gets too big and heavy (like eight year old London and seven year old Maddie).

Here's a testimonial from one of Cryo-Cell's loyal clients:
"My children are the most precious gifts that I will ever have and I want to do everything I can to make sure they are well. While I was pregnant with my first child, I would see articles and ads about cord blood and it bothered me that it was so expensive but what if I one day needed this blood. The reality of having only one chance or it really went in the garbage kept me wondering if I would regret not investing. What if he had cancer or his dad or I were sick, would that blood have been the cure? Through research, I came across Cryo-Cell International, Inc., a company with the most reasonable rates and the assurance of two holding facilities.

When I was pregnant with my second child, we wondered if one bank was enough? Finances were tighter and should we spend the money? Then we realized that his brothers blood might not match for the new baby. The next day, stories were breaking about how Cord blood had saved or changed the lives of children, one cancer, one cerebral palsy. Then we discovered that a friend was diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma. He didn't bank his daughters blood and wished he had. Three years prior, I lost a friend to renal cancer when she was 29. We felt like it was our answer.

We are just beginning to see miracles that this blood can bring. We have two "life insurance policies", that is how we look at it. If anyone in the family gets ill, there is a chance that the blood could save our lives. If we don't use it, then it is there for our son's children."

Sincerely,
Mother of Parker and Davis

Cryo-Cell International Client