Chris Menards Recovery From Islet Cell Transplant

Hello. I am Carol Menard, Chris Menard's mother.

Christopher is a single father of two, Remington (age 7) and Rhett (age 2). Five years ago, Chris went to the hospital with severe pain in his stomach and a very high fever. He had a gallbladder attack. The Drs. couldn't get the pain or fever under control. A week later, they removed his gallbladder, and we thought that was the end.

Chris had his first bout of pancreatitis eight weeks later. He was in the hospital for another week. This began a cycle of ER visits and hospitalizations every six to eight weeks that would last three years. As time went on, Chris' pancreas was getting sicker and sicker, and the pain was getting worse and worse. The Drs. identified the cause of his attacks. It was Autoimmune Pancreatitis. His own body was attacking itself.

In 2021 Chris began a series of surgical procedures to place stents in his pancreatic ducts. These surgeries happened every other month and gave him minor relief from the pain. Over the years, Drs. had discussed an Islet Cell Transplant with Chris, but it cannot be done in Denver and didn't seem to be a likely treatment for his condition. Sixty percent of Islet Cell transplant patients develop Diabetes within five years, and Chris was otherwise healthy.

In January this year Chris got Covid. A few weeks later, he started having strange symptoms. We didn't know it at the time, but the Covid had brought on Diabetes. It took several weeks for the official diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes.

In June this year, Chris got a surprise call from Kaiser. They approved an evaluation for an Islet Cell transplant in San Fransisco. Eight weeks later, he was given the go-ahead, and a surgery date was set. Chris is having surgery on September 29th. He will need to stay in San Fransisco for about eight weeks while he recovers. He will then come back to Denver and continue his recovery.

As I said earlier, Chris is a single father. He is trying to provide the best life possible for his two kids. Remington has watched as her father has gotten sicker and sicker. And Rhett has never known his father without pain. Chris wants to see his kids grow up and this surgery is his best chance at achieving that.

While we are incredibly grateful that he will be able to have this transplant, there will be many expenses that will not be covered by insurance. Chris will need to move to California for at least two months. He requires a "caregiver" while there, so I will be going along with him. We will be leaving our homes, jobs and family.

Over the last five years, Chris has been in the hospital 27 times and had 11 surgeries. This is why I have started a GoFundMe page. We will need to pay for transportation and living costs while in California. Chris is a General Contractor and will not be able to attend to clients while he is recovering. I estimate the out-of-pocket costs for this surgery and recovery to be $10k-$15k. He will then need to get his life back on track.