By Sarah Whitman
Senior Staff Writer
LAND O’ LAKES — Cancer is a word no one wants to hear. For many, the possibility of unexpected illness leads to worry and frustration. John Suits’ business is helping to ease those anxieties. Suits owns New Born Blood Banking, Inc. a cord blood storage facility in Land O’ Lakes. The business safely stores infant cord blood to use in case of a health emergency. The blood can be used to fight diseases ranging from Leukemia to Sickle-Cell Anemia.
“Cord blood is filled with stem cells and stem cells can be used to save lives,” Suits said. “We help parents collect and store their children’s cord blood so its there if the families need it.”
Suits, a former math teacher, learned about cord blood storage when his wife was pregnant with their first child in 1996. Prior to the pregnancy, she had battled lung cancer.
“It just happened so suddenly,” he said. ” She was fine one day and the next she could die. It was unnerving.”
Soon after Suits’ wife went into remission, the couple heard about cord blood storage and grew fascinated. They began reading up on the subject around the time they began trying for a family. They found that cord blood can prevent the need for bone marrow transplants, a difficult and dangerous procedure.
“With a stem cell transplant, there is a greater chance for a match, meaning the body won’t reject the new cells,” Suits said, “And with cord blood, a match is there waiting for the donor.”
After learning this, the Suits found out they were expecting a baby girl.
“When we got pregnant, we decided we definitely wanted to do it,” Suits said, “so we went in search of someone who could help us.”
The couple found Dr. Yenhui Chang at All Children’s Hospital. Chang helped them purchase the right equipment, which includes collection kits, complete with special storage bags, and a liquid nitrogen freezer. The Suits then converted their garage into a hygienic lab.
“We got everything we needed, learned from Dr. Chang and prepared for our daughter’s birth,” Suits said.
Unfortunately, when Suits daughter was born, they weren’t quite ready and were unable to store the blood.
“It was a disappointment but we believed so much in the process, we decided to try and help others,” Suits said.
Knowing the good they could do, the couple helped a friend, Obstetrician Dr. Steve Greenberg, store his son’s blood. After the collection was successful, the Suits began helping more and more people. In 1999, they turned the operation into a full-time business. At the time, the only licensing required was for the liquid nitrogen. Today, the FDA regulates all storage facilities.
Jerlyn Shaw was one of New Born Blood Banking’s early clients.
“I had read literature on cord blood storage and I thought it was a good thing to do,” Shaw said.
While pregnant with her son, Shaw contacted Suits and began the process. She paid the $200 required deposit and put her name on the list.
“It was simple,” she said. “John (Suits) came to the hospital when I delivered, took care of everything and that was it.”
New Born Blood Banking makes a promise to make it to the hospital with a collection kit, rain or shine.
“We collected during the 2004 hurricanes,” Suits said. “We bring the kits, get them to the obstetricians and then take them back with us right away.”
The blood is kept safe at a facility on Carson Dr. in Land O’ Lakes. The first year storage cost is $1095. An 18-year storage plan is $3095.
“Its worth the cost,” Shaw said. “I’ve been lucky so far but I can rest easy knowing my son has a resource waiting if he were to get sick, or even if something were to happened to me or my husband, we could use it then too.”
Suits said many of his clients work in the medical profession.
He encourages anyone interest in cord blood storage to research the topic and contact him.
“If you have the funds to do this, you should,” he said. “You never know what’s going to happen. It could save a life.”
For more information, call (813) 948-2673.
