Nicole Lagioia

Ottawa, Ont.

"The donor parents I have been given the privilege to work with have shown so much generosity and excitement toward the program, which is extremely rewarding to see."

Not only is Nicole a proud two-time donor of her children’s cord blood; she also works at one of Canada’s four cord blood collection hospitals.

As a high-risk labour and delivery nurse at the Ottawa Hospital, Nicole is passionate about Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank, and regularly encourages patients to follow in her footsteps.

“I have seen many things that made me realize how fortunate I am to have given birth to two healthy children,” she says. “And as a medical professional, it’s extremely rewarding to know we can finally save lives with this rich source of stem cells, which in the past had simply gone to waste.”

For her efforts, Nicole has become known as a “cord blood champion” and a huge contributor to the overall success of the program.

“I love being able to put myself in donor parents’ shoes as I too have been a proud donor.”