Latest Update

Josh

Since it appears that Josh is not going to update anytime soon, I thought I would.

The big news is that Josh has a new job, beginning next week (when his 6 weeks of recuperation are over)!!  He will be working in a Subway/convenience store not far from our house (for you locals, the new one on Ocean Avenue, owned by our friends Les and Esther).  Hopefully he will take some classes second semester of this year while working.

He has no pancreatic pain, which to me, is a miracle.  On September 1st Dr. Sutherland wrote the following to me in an email:  "And we will get rid of Josh’s pain." I wanted to believe him, but I was not sure whether that was overly optimistic.  Dr. Sutherland followed through on his promise, and for that we are eternally grateful.  I am thankful every day that we found Dr. Sutherland and we were able to have Josh's surgery in Minnesota with the best team.

Josh is still taking insulin in the morning and with meals.  It is going just fine.  His morning insulin dose has been reduced 3 or 4 times already - indications that the islet cells are kicking in.  Dr. Quevedo, his local endocrinologist, believes he will be off the meal time insulin shortly.

It is difficult to express how wonderful it is to see Josh feeling well, reconnecting with friends, getting out of the house, enjoying food, and in general returning to a "normal" life.  He had a long 2 and a half years of misery.  Those days are now behind him!

Although this blog is about Josh's transplant, there is other news in the Benson Family regarding Josh's two sisters.  Josh's older sister Sarah moved into a new group home in Florida.  We are anxious to see it, but Grandpa assures us that it is beautiful and her bedroom is about 50% larger than her old room.  And Josh's younger sister, Emily, applied to college this week!  We are all so proud of her, and we assume that the college to which she applied will see what a gem she is and accept her immediately.

That's about it for now.

-Deb