On April 9th, 2020, Kendal was diagnosed with a rare solid pancreatic tumor. Later that month, she underwent a Whipple procedure to remove 1/2 of the pancreas & tumor (the tumor was in the very middle of her pancreas), gallbladder, upper duodenum, and a portion of the common bile duct, which was the start of a long journey.

With having half of her pancreas removed, she had to deal with EPI (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency), which is managed with enzymes “eating pills” she has to take every time she eats anything. In addition to the EPI, for over 4 years, she has struggled with pain episodes. Watching her go through this knowing there was very little anyone could do to help is heartbreaking. She underwent several more procedures and surgeries over the last couple of years to try and figure out what was going on and also try to alleviate that pain. In the recent procedure this past May they found a pancreatic stone which pointed towards chronic pancreatitis. At that time, they advised that the pancreatitis attacks are causing the remaining portion of the pancreas that she has left to shrink. So, with the pain and shrinking of the pancreas that is left, the talk moved toward doing a total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation. In other words – removing what’s left of the pancreas and transplanting the islet cells from it into her liver to hopefully reduce or eliminate the need for insulin. She will always need to take the enzymes for digesting her food when she eats, but at this point, she is not diabetic. Removing the pancreas will result in immediate type 3C diabetes (insulin dependent). The hope is for the islet cells to graft into the liver and possibly someday reduce the need for insulin. Choosing to be diabetic is not an option anyone looks forward to, but it is the only way to stop the severe pain attacks and give her back some control over her life.  

Below is a link that better explains the surgery itself.
https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/service/p/pancreas-care/treatments/tpiat

The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) helps children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support. COTA is the nation’s only fundraising organization solely dedicated to raising life-saving dollars in honor of transplant-needy children and young adults. 100% of each contribution made to COTA in honor of our patients helps meet transplant-related expenses. COTA’s services are free to our families, and gifts to COTA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.