Our Story

Hana was first diagnosed with pancreatitis when she was the young age of 8 years old. She had a few “attacks” throughout the years, but in fall of 2016 her condition worsened causing her to be hospitalized over 23 times. Doctors then diagnosed her with chronic pancreatitis with acute pancreatitis attacks. Due to her illness Hana has been unable to attend school and has been on homebound for the past year. She has missed out on most of her Junior and Senior year of High School activities missing most memorable events that she should have enjoyed. In January 2017 I took Hana to Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati to see the multidisciplinary team in the Pancreas Center to see if she would be a candidate for a Total Pancreatectomy with Islet Autotransplantation (TPIAT). After months of surgical procedures, blood tests, x-rays, and countless doctors visits it was determined that she would benefit from the surgery and we are now waiting on the “official date”. We are hoping that this will all be behind her by the beginning of summer allowing her to reclaim her life back and start college life as a healthy teenage girl.