Walter Reed performs rare transplant of pancreas cells

From The Washington Post;
You have got to read this article. This is just too cool. God, bless him and his loved ones for going through all this.

A 21-year-old airman who was shot in the abdomen at a remote outpost in Afghanistan last month underwent a rare procedure at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in which cells were rescued from his severely damaged pancreas and transplanted into his liver.

The procedure has been done only about 200 times, and almost always for a severe disease called pancreatitis. Surgeons at Walter Reed think this was the first case of pancreatic "autotransplantation" after a traumatic injury, although that claim could not be independently verified.

The operation involved removing the airman's pancreas at Walter Reed; flying the organ to Miami, where the cells were extracted and preserved; and then returning the cells to Washington, where they were infused into the patient's liver. There the cells become permanent residents, secreting hormones into the bloodstream and performing part of the function of the original pancreas. The process occurred over less than 24 hours and involved about 60 people.

There is just so much about this story that is heartwarming and wonderful. This is God, folks, out of tragedy, comes hope. Out of a hateful, violent act, comes new technology, and a new way of life. I don't care how many of us "infidels" those disgusting murderers try to kill, they will never crush our spirits, and we will prevail.
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