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My wife, Liz Leuenberger, has lived with Type 1 (Juvenile Diabetes, Insulin Dependent Diabetes) for 28 years. The complications from being diabetic for so long have taken a toll on her body in several different ways. Recently, while being my caregiver as I recover from my heart and liver transplant, she lost vision in her right eye twice. The vision loss was thankfully temporary, but the doctors warned us that the next time might be permanent. At my doctor's request, Liz and I have been staying at the Restoring Hope Transplant House in Middleton, WI for the last 6 months while my medical team works to regulate my anti-rejection medication levels. During our stay, we have met some amazing caregivers and transplant recipients, one of whom received a pancreas transplant during our stay. Her story gave us a glimmer of hope that someday Liz might be able to receive a pancreas transplant and be free from the blood sugar checks, insulin injections, carb counting and life-threatening hypoglycemic episodes. Free from the fear of losing her vision, losing a limb or slipping into a diabetic coma and never waking up. Last Thursday, February 15th, Liz had a pancreas transplant evaluation appointment at UW Health in Madison and and she has completed a majority of the of the testing that is required to determine if she is eligible for a pancreas transplant. In a few weeks, the pancreas transplant committee will be meeting to discuss her case and decide if she qualifies to be placed on the pancreas transplant waiting list. I will be sure to share an update as soon as we receive any further news. Thank you all for your continued love and support while we work to get Liz the pancreas transplant she desperately needs!
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