One mother in Ottawa is raising awareness about the benefits of donating her child's umbilical cord blood to Canadian Blood Services after giving birth in May.

New mother Chanel Cyr-Depauw said, "Knowing that my daughter is doing well on her first day of life can only set her up for a great future."

This is a decision Cyr-Depauw and her husband made before the birth of their daughter Ayla.

Umbilical cord blood is the blood that remains in the placenta and umbilical cord after the baby is born.

Umbilical cord blood is rich in stem cells and is used to treat over 80 diseases and disorders including cancer, blood diseases, and immune disorders. Currently, there are over 1,000 patients across Canada waiting for a stem cell transplant. If the cord is not donated, it will be discarded.

She said, "Just knowing the fact that the umbilical cord is discarded, I feel why it is thrown in the trash when it can save people's lives."

"They are actually very immature stem cells, so they can be used to treat a lot of people. Cord blood is often used to treat children under the age of 12, and often under the age of four, simply because the size is very small." said Jan Grant from Canadian Blood Services: "Small in size."

Ottawa Hospital is one of four locations for umbilical cord blood donation in the country. While some choose to collect and store it privately, less than one percent of people actually use it for themselves, according to Health Canada.

Grant said, "It is very important for us to be able to collect stem cells so that we can add them to the stem cell registry so patients in Canada and around the world can access them, but this is really a personal choice for the individual."

Cyr-Depauw said the entire process was simple. I registered online, and collection was done after birth. A small decision but a lifesaving one for her little hero.

She said it wasn’t worth thinking about, "to be able to help others, like why not do it?"