Simultaneous kidney and pancreas transplant Gives Diabetic Patient a Second Chance
USA: Kevin Rogers, diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age nine, has emerged from years of escalating complications after receiving a simultaneous kidney and pancreas transplant. He managed the disease through childhood and adulthood but in his 40s developed kidney failure and began dialysis. His medical course included cardiac arrests, severe microvascular damage, persistent foot ulcers, loss of an eye and ultimately a double lower‑limb amputation, painting a stark picture of the toll chronic diabetes exacts.
Faced with time running out, Rogers underwent a combined kidney–pancreas transplantation, a procedure the medical team described as life‑saving for people with longstanding Type 1 diabetes complicated by renal failure. Clinical survival benchmarks cited for this approach include survival rates of roughly 97 percent at one year and about 87 percent at ten years after transplant. For Rogers the outcome was transformative: he no longer requires insulin, is free from dialysis, and his medical trajectory has shifted away from progressive organ failure.
The recovery has not been without struggle. Even after transplant, painful foot ulcers and poor circulation in the extremities — consequences of microvascular disease — complicated rehabilitation and contributed to the amputations he endured. Physicians highlighted how impaired blood supply in the feet and legs hampers healing and how these kinds of ulcers account for the majority of diabetes‑related lower‑limb amputations. They also noted that roughly one in three people with diabetes may develop kidney disease severe enough to require dialysis.
Now feeling healthier for the first time in years, Rogers is focusing on rebuilding activity and sharing a message of resilience. Medical staff emphasize prevention and vigilant care for people living with Type 1 diabetes to reduce the cascade of complications that can lead to renal failure and limb loss. The case underscores the potential of simultaneous organ transplantation to reverse some of the most devastating consequences of advanced diabetes.
