At 11:05 pm on Jan. 31, 2002, I received a call on my mobile phone from Dr. Hering at the University of Minnesota. Though I had flown to Minneapolis for a evaluation in October, it was the first time that I had spoken to him. He asked if I was healthy and if I felt well and when I replied yes, he said that they had an organ available and asked if I could get there the next morning. As soon as I got off the phone with him, I started calling airlines for the earliest direct morning departure from Washington, DC to Minneapolis, MN. I needed a direct flight to save time and, at that time, there were no direct departures from Richmond.

I went for a run to make sure that I would qualify for the weight limit, double-checked my luggage, and left at 2:30 am for the 100 mile drive to Dulles airport.
Everything worked out fabulously and on Feb. 1, 2002, I received the first of two islet cell transplants at Fairview University Hospital. The second occurred, in much the same way, on May 10, 2002.

This is a brief summary of the chronological order of events surrounding the transplants:

First, several thanks are in order.

I want to thank the following for their assistance and support: God, my parents, my late grandmother, my sisters (especially my sister Mary Jo, her husband Tim, and their family in Minnesota for their flexibility in accommodating me, sometimes at the last minute), my boys Christopher and William, and my friends.

A special thank you to Monique. Her support and love has provided me with inspiration when things were difficult. She is an amazing person and helps keep a positive spin on things when they appear otherwise. My world would not be as bright without her.

None of this would have been possible if not for the organ donors. Though I do not know the donors, I would like to thank them or their family for having the courage and foresight to donate their organs. I encourage everyone to donate their organs - it may save a life.

It has been a privilege to be involved with the staff at the DIIT (Diabetes Institute for Immunology and Transplantation) and the University of MN. They have been thorough in their preparation, concerned about my condition, and professional in their conduct. There are approximately 50 people involved from DIIT in the procurement of the organ, islet cell isolation, patient care, etc. It is not uncommon for their staff to work through the night on islet cell isolation from a donated pancreas and preparation for transplant. Dr. Bernhard Hering, the Director of Islet Transplantation for DIIT at the Univ. of MN, is as selfless and dedicated a physician as I have ever encountered and it has been an honor to work with him.

I would also like to thank Capital One and the following people at work for their assistance and flexibility: Susan Kindervater, Alex Sun, Randy Wolfe, Mel Roach, and Don Swartz. Thanks to Semon Lu for his timely assistance with this web site. I would also like to thank Chris Brown for his help and support.

I would like to express my gratitude to my Richmond-based physicians, Drs. Robert Castellucci, Jami Lacey, and Jeffrey Levin and their staff for their timely and personal assistance in helping me to get qualified for this study.

I would also like to recognize the following sponsors and coordinators for this study: the NIH (National Institutes of Health), the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) and the ITN (Immune Tolerance Network).

I would summarize the issues that have arisen post-transplant into three categories:

1.) Physical/medical - reporting and managing any problems that arise due to medication, procedure, etc. Since this is a new protocol, unexpected situations may arise. The University of MN/DIIT staff has made themselves readily accessible to quickly address any issues. We remain in frequent communication and they closely monitor the values of blood tests that are performed every week in Richmond, VA. They are very responsive and will err on the side of caution in managing treatment.

2.) Logistical - Periodic returns to the University of MN hospital for evaluation, treatment, and medication is required. Managing this around work, time with my sons, and other events is challenging.
3.) Emotional - I have been able to reconcile the ups and downs that have presented themselves. But it entails more difficulty in assuaging the concern of parents, siblings, and friends.

Lastly, my support goes out to diabetics and their family and friends - especially to children (and their parents) who have acquired type 1 diabetes. It is a challenge to manage this disease, difficult to adapt, and easy to become discouraged. It is difficult to maintain the constant commitment that is necessary to cope with diabetes. I hope this information can provide hope for diabetics and provide an impetus for better self-management. A viable alternative treatment may not be that far off.