Dr. Sutherland's update @ 3:15pm central time

The head surgeon, Dr. Sutherland, just came by and said they have successfully removed Nicole's pancreas, spleen, and appendix. They are now finished reconstructing her digestive tract. They are currently breaking down her pancreas in order to harvest her islet cells(the cells in your pancreas that produce insulin). This process of harvesting the cells takes several hours. He said that Nicole's appendix was scarred and looked as if she has had appendicitis in the past. He says that her pancreas pain could have covered up the appendix pain and she could have had appendicitis without even knowing it. He expects the harvesting of her islet cells to be finished by around 5 pm (cst) and then they will go forward with placing them in her liver. Once they have finished this, we will get another update. Everything is still going well.

Thanks for all of your continued support, James and the rest of the family.