by Bert Williams

Carl Thompson of Marin County, California was a diabetic for 25 years and was on kidney dialysis for nearly five years. Connected magazine introduced Carl to readers last month (see “Developing Story” posted June 14, 21, and 28 and July 10). 

After more than a decade of routine insulin injections and nearly five years of regular kidney dialysis, Carl Thompson has gone nearly a week without either procedure.          

On July 20, he finally got the call: a pancreas and a kidney were being flown in from a donor in Nevada. Carl should be at the hospital at 5 a.m. the next morning, ready for surgery.         

Carl’s fiancée, Kim Roman, reports that the surgery, which finally got under way at 10 a.m. on July 21, lasted eight hours. Doctors consider it a complete success, she says.         

“When he came out of surgery, he had several things going into him and out of him,” Kim said, “but he looked great.”         

Most of the tubes have now been removed, and both new organs are functioning normally. According to Kim, Carl’s blood sugar level before the surgery, even with the injected insulin, was in the 400 range.  Blood sugar level for a healthy person is 120 to 130. Carl’s reading today, without additional insulin, was 110, and that was after he had a cup of tea with sugar in it! That shows the new pancreas is doing exactly what a healthy pancreas should do, doctors say.         

The kidney is apparently working just as well as the pancreas. After undergoing kidney dialysis three days a week for five years, Carl has now gone nine days without the need for dialysis.          

“ ‘That is amazing,’ he just keeps saying. ‘That is amazing!’ ” reports Kim.         

Doctors have said they expect Carl to return home from the hospital this weekend. Connected will issue a further report next week on Carl’s progress.

Bert Williams is editor of Connected magazine.