INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — More than 38 million Americans are living with diabetes. While many manage the condition with medication, a pancreas transplant offers the only chance for a healthier life.

Right now over 800 people are on the national waiting list for this life-saving surgery but only a fraction will receive one. However, a groundbreaking new method of preserving donor pancreases is offering hope to those waiting.

Diagnosed with type one diabetes, Roman Evans’ kidneys and pancreas were failing.

Doctor Matthew Hunter Witt performed roman’s kidney and pancreas transplant, but the way the donor pancreas arrived was a game changer.

Typically, a donor pancreas is transported in a cooler. But parts of the organ can get too cool or too warm, causing damage on a cellular level.

But Witt’s team at Tampa General Hospital was the first in the world to receive the donor pancreas in the Pancreas Pak.

“The Pancreas Pak is a much more sophisticated system and making sure that the fluid around the pancreas, the preservation solution that the pancreas graft is lying in, is between four and eight degrees Celsius. It has a built-in GPS unit,” Witt said.

Now, thanks to this lifesaving technology, Evans is no longer on insulin — essentially free from diabetes.

The Pancreas Pak technology could significantly improve the odds for those awaiting this lifesaving surgery.

Doctors say knowing exactly when the organ will arrive and having confidence it’s being kept at a consistent optimal temperature eliminates some of the risks associated with traditional transport methods.

This innovation also allows transplant centers to expand the distance from which they’ll accept donor pancreases, going from a radius of 250 miles to as much as 500 miles — which could ultimately mean more transplants performed.

This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV. Health Spotlight is presented by Community Health Network.

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