Alan Lammle

Alan Needs Your Help

My name is Alan Lammle and for those of you who do not know my story, I had the unlikely, one in a billion chance, of having a glob of triglycerides go on a traveling expedition and block a duct to my pancreas causing a bout of severe pancreatitis. I was hospitalized for a month in a medically-induced coma. Since then I have had many pancreatic attacks, resulting in Type 1 Brittle Diabetes. I have only 3% of my pancreas left and do not have the pancreatic ability to create and regulate insulin or to produce digestive enzymes. I have suffered changes to my vision, neuropathy issues, and have issues with hypoglycemic unawareness. I have been told that I need a pancreas transplant. Due to my condition, this transplant will be more involved than normal and I will have more out-of-pocket expenses than usual.

I am 54 years old and live with my wife, Amy Simons, in Parker, Colorado. I have two sons, Matthew, who is married to Samantha and lives in Arvada, Colorado and Joshua, who with his girlfriend, Christine McBride, lives in Parker, Colorado.
I grew up in Minnesota / South Dakota and graduated from Roscoe High School. I attended Alexandria vocational school in Minnesota and Denver Technical College in Colorado. My last job before I stopped working due to health concerns was as an IT Field Support Technician at Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation in Boulder.

I was put on the transplant waiting list at the University of Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis on April 22, 2015. I have been told the expected wait time for a pancreas is six months to a year. Transplants are life-saving but financially draining. Even with insurance, I will have many uninsured transplant-related expenses such as co-pays and deductibles, travel and temporary relocation from Colorado to Minnesota be near the transplant center, living expenses in Minnesota, and the costs of the immunosuppressant medications that I will need to take for the rest of my life. As one example, I will need to take one anti-infection medication, Valcyte, for six months. This medication costs over $8,000/month – and my out-of-pocket expenses may run as high as $8,000 to $10,000 for this time period for this one medication alone.

The various statistic charts show that a transplanted pancreas has an average life of 10 to 12 years. I have a common blood type (type A), have relatively common HLA (tissue typing), and have low PRA (percentage of antibody issues) and have been told I am not a difficult transplant match. I have been told that if the transplanted pancreas fails at a time after I have reached 60 years of age, that I may not be eligible for further transplant surgery as the hospital does not normally perform pancreas transplant surgery on patients over age 60. Because I am 54, I intend to wait for the closest match and for a pancreas in the best condition so that it may function for me for the next 25 to 30 years or longer. I plan to travel to Minnesota once I am close to the top of the list and be ready for transplant surgery. I may be in Minnesota for a month or longer before transplant and for a month or two post-transplant. I have been told that initially I will be visiting the University of Minnesota Hospital every three months post-transplant for about a year, then every six months, and then annually.

I wish I didn’t need to ask anyone for assistance, but with the expected costs, even after insurance and savings, I know I need to ask for your assistance and support. To help with this financial burden, a fundraising campaign in my honor has been established with Help Hope Live, a trusted nonprofit organization that has been providing community-based fundraising guidance to patients and their families for more than 30 years. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law, are held by Help Hope Live in the Midwest/West Transplant Fund, and are administered by Help Hope Live for transplant-related expenses only. Please consider making a contribution today and click the DONATE NOW.

If you can find it in your heart to help with $1.00 or $1,000.00, please know that every single dollar helps and we are grateful for your support. If you don’t have any money to spare, please share this link with your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media friends. Email it to your family and other email contacts. Every single donation – large or small – makes a difference.

My entire family, including Amy, Matt, Samantha, Josh and Chris, will all be actively involved in my fundraising campaign. Amy can be reached at her business phone number of 303-220-1320 or by email at [email protected]. We all thank you for your prayers, support and generosity. Please keep an eye on my Help Hope Live campaign page for updates and news of upcoming fundraising events.

With sincere gratitude,

Alan, Amy, Matt, Josh, Samantha and Christine