Today is a very sad day for me. Today I say goodbye to a dear friend whom has dealt with pancreatitis for the last few years. She had the auto islet cell transplant in May and we were getting through her recovery together. Unfortunately, she took her life on August 29th and today she will be put to rest. It's not something I've ever dealt with and the loss and feeling of guilt that I think accompanies the people that are still here is very hard. Her family and friends are all thinking of her and know that she is in a better place, but we will miss her terribly.

The loss of her has given a whole new light on my adventure with pancreatitis. There shouldn't be another person that loses their life to this disease. It's time we found a cure for it and the years of suffering with something so terrible takes a toll on even the strongest person. It's just not fair.

Her family is in my thoughts today and always.