Rofo Family Donates Cord Blood to Lymphoma Patient

Marking the one-year anniversary of the Mason Shaffer Public Cord Blood Program at Main Line Health, the first cord blood match has taken place at .

Paulana and Steven Tagliatelli of Royersford, PA, donated the cord blood of daughter Laura Maria on July 11, 2011 at Bryn Mawr Hospital. Her cord blood has now been donated to a patient with lymphoma.

“I always loved helping others and thought that by donating my daughter’s cord blood I could help someone who really needs it,” explained Paulana. “Perhaps one day my family will need a donation like that. It didn't hurt, it didn't put us at any risk, so I was very happy to do it.”

Umbilical cord blood is rich in non-controversial stem cells which can be used to successfully treat more than 70 life-threatening diseases, including many types of cancers and blood disorders. Umbilical cord blood is a byproduct of birth that is usually discarded. Donation poses no physical risk to the mother and baby and is completely painless. The pregnant mom must first meet eligibility requirements and the cord blood is determined to be suitable for transplant, the blood is stored in the cord blood bank and listed on the National Marrow Donor Program’s Be The Match Registry.

Paulana’s OB/Gyn Thomas Dardarian, DO, Main Line Women’s Health Care Associates, encourages his patients to donate cord blood as long as the patient has had a stable pregnancy without complications. “Cord blood donation is a wonderful gift a family can give to someone who is ill and in need of a stem cell transplant. It is so exciting for our health system to have this first match. I encourage all pregnant women to consider this option.”

The Mason Shaffer Public Cord Blood Program at Main Line Health was established in May 2011 as a cooperative effort of the Mason Shaffer Foundation of Pennsylvania, Community Blood Services of NJ/NY and Main Line Health. Mason’s parents Sarah and Marc Shaffer established the foundation after their son Mason, who was stricken with Malignant Infantile Osteoporosis (MIOP), received donor blood stem cells that saved his life. It is the first organized effort of its kind in Pennsylvania east of Pittsburgh. The program is offered at both Bryn Mawr Hospital and Lankenau Medical Center.

Paulana recalls the day she received the phone call from the Cord Blood Bank. “I will never forget the words the coordinator told me on the phone… ‘Young lady, you are saving someone else's life’. I was so emotional and excited at the same time. It is a great feeling that I can't even describe.”

Special thanks to Leslie Feldman, communications consultant for Main Line Health, for submitting this story.