PATIENTS
PATIENT STORIES
Ashley
Ashley became diabetic when was only 1 years old so a blood glucose rollercoaster was part of her entire life.
Not anymore! Yesterday, she received her islets transplant.
" :I have never had blood glucose like that over last 38 years!"
said Ashley looking at her CGM next day after her islet transplant procedure (see below).
"... they are amazing.. I am so grateful..." she added when she saw the picture of islets under the microscope.
Ashley is about to leave hospital in 2 days, and travel with her family for her son's hokey game next week.
Her islet transplantation was made possible due to the efforts of the entire team of the New Jersey Sharing Network and the family of the deceased donor, which generously offered pancreas for islet transplantation for Ashely.
We are all so grateful for that!
Ashley's story:
"...I have never known a life without diabetes. My entire life revolved around 24 hour care, starting with injections at 21 months old, leading to an insulin pump when I was 14 years old. Hypoglycemic unawareness has led me to the inability to make decisions to ensure safety for my family, hallucinations, and loss of consciousness. The anxiety, stress, & constant worry, put a huge burden on my family and restricted my freedom of getting out and enjoying life.
A life without constant worry is something I’ve never experienced. Not being attached to a life saving device seemed unrealistic, until I spoke with Lindsay, Laurencia & met Dr. Witkowski and the entire transplant team.
The day of the transplant:
I was afraid, felt out of control and worried that a single decision could mess with my normal routine, a routine I have never been without. I was nervous & scared, but proceeded on putting my faith in the the transplant team. After the transplant, actually a couple of hours after the transplant, I realized that all of the stress and concern whether I was making the decision was not necessary, because I honestly have not seen numbers like this in 38 years of living with this life controlling disease! It has been an amazing experience and I give all of my thanks to Dr. Witkowski, his entire transplant team and his two wonderful assistants, Lindsay & Laurencia. The detail, the compassion, and the process was such an amazing experience. The care I received during the entire process was beyond amazing!! I want in all of this, to help others and share my experience because it has been something that every diabetic deserves. I look forward to what the future holds! "
March 10th, 2022 Insulin was stopped completely!
July 9th, 2023
Support for the Islet Act!
This letter is being written in support of Islet Cell Transplantation for Type 1 diabetics.
I, Ashley McNear being a diabetic for 39 years support the Islet Cell Transplant and am living proof that it is an effective treatment with people suffering from this life controlling disease.
I was given the opportunity to participate in a case study and can assure you that this procedure has changed not only my life, but the lives of the other participants. My Hemoglobin A1C went from 7.8% to 4.9% in 7 months with no complications from the procedure. The mental, emotional, physical, and pure exhaustion from dealing with this disease 24/7, 365 days a year is life altering, not a day goes by where you aren’t constantly wondering what is going to happen next, is my sugar going to drop, will I be in an accident from a low blood sugar, will i wake up, do I have enough insulin, will the restaurant/meeting have food I can eat, will I wake up … the list goes on forever.
Until you have walked in a type 1 diabetics shoes, the understanding of the disease and how life controlling it is, is unimaginable. I can attest it is not “manageable”, instead it is exhausting, draining, and challenging, not to mention the cost of supplies and the inability to get aid or help to cover the cost of the supplies is unreal.
It is time to change the world we live in and start living for the people who are living with type 1 diabetes. I am asking you to give us a chance, give our youth a chance, make a difference because you never know, one day you may have a child, parent, grandparent, relative or friend that is effected by this horrible disease. The medical world continues to improve and it may be someone you know that needs “the cure”.
Thank you for your time,
Ashley McNear
read more about ISLET Act www.isletsforus.org/isletact and email your support isletact@gmail.com