Kristen Radloff

Kristen Radloff

Transplant Type - Pancreas

Kristen was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when she was just 7 years old. Experiencing the full effects of this disease for nineteen years has proven difficult for Kristen. A team of doctors and diabetes educators at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota have determined that a Pancreas Transplant is critical for Kristen’s survival. Kristen began experiencing the complications of prolonged high sugars in 2010 when she began having frequent seizures, loss of vision, and severe neuropathy in both of her lower extremities. The most common of complications for diabetics is Kidney Disease. Through experimental treatments, dieting, and close monitoring, Kristen has been able to keep her kidneys healthy but without a transplant, the inevitable will win.

Her Story

I can still remember the look on my parents face on the ride home from my two weeks stay in the hospital as they hashed out who would be giving my first shot! It was years later that I saw that face again as I was being wheeled into an ambulance after my parents were unable to wake me from nighttime low blood sugar.

As a child and teen, life with diabetes was all I knew! Every piece of clothing I owned had pockets sewn on the inside to hold my insulin pump! I would guess that more than half of my friends from high school didn’t even know I had diabetes. I didn’t let it hold me back from anything!

As an adult, I found a great balance between my disease, my medications, and my activities. I was in the best shape of my life. It was a strep infection that changed things forever. The doctor had prescribed me three different antibiotics, but nothing helped. Eventually, I was given IV antibiotics but the damage was done. While my body was trying to fight the infection, it mistakenly began to attach my synthetic insulin.

Without insulin, my sugars were reaching the upper 600’s on a daily basis. *When blood sugar elevates over 200, you begin to experience flu-like symptoms. Doctors at UNC performed plasmapheresis and IVIG which both gave me great results and relief. The only problem is, both of those treatments lose efficacy when used frequently.

Last year I was diagnosed with Grave’s Disease and subsequently, Schmidt’s Syndrome, an auto-immune condition that specifically attacks organs within the endocrine system. Unfortunately for me, this was discovered while I was on the operating table, my new organ (a 99% match), resting on ice just a few feet from my reach. It was easily the most devastating day of my life.

You can help by making a tax-deductible donation to NFT in honor of Kristen. If you'd prefer to send your gift by mail, please send it to the NFT North Carolina Transplant Fund, 3249 W. Sarazens Circle, Suite 100, Memphis, TN 38125.
Please be sure to write "in honor of Kristen Radloff" on the memo line.

Thank you for your generosity!
Patient Health Institute: Mayo Clinic Rochester