Two trusted sources have confirmed that Jennifer Jones Austin, the Park Slope woman stricken with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, has found an umbilical stem cell donor.

Thanks to this match, Austin, a legal advocate, wife and mother, has seriously improved her chances of survival. Prior to finding this donor, Austin’s prognosis was very dire.

The very potent and stem cell rich blood found in the umbilical cord has proven effective in treating the type of Leukemia that Austin has.

More good news: umbilical cord blood stem cell transplants are less prone to rejection than either bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells because the cells have not yet developed the features that can be recognized and attacked by the recipient’s immune system.

Umbilical cord blood lacks well-developed immune cells, there is less chance that the transplanted cells will attack the recipient’s body, a problem called graft versus host disease.

Austin is not out of the woods yet as there is a long road ahead in the transplant process. But thanks to this donor match, this extraordinary woman is likely to survive a terrible isease.