First pancreas transplant on Long Island frees diabetic patient from dialysis, insulin

Audio engineer Carlyle Preudhomme returned on Tuesday to North Shore University Hospital, filled with renewed energy three months after receiving a new kidney and pancreas.

Preudhomme, 47, of Flushing, Queens, came back to thank the doctors and medical team who performed Long Island's first pancreas transplant, a 10-hour procedure that freed him from dialysis and the daily insulin injections he had relied on for decades.

"I feel so much better. I wake up with so much energy," Preudhomme said on Tuesday. "I wake up with ambition and momentum."

Preudhomme has lived with Type 1 diabetes since he was 22. The autoimmune disease occurs when the body's immune system attacks cells in the pancreas responsible for producing insulin, requiring patients to rely on insulin to regulate their blood sugar.

Over time, the disease took a toll on Preudhomme's kidneys and he spent four years on dialysis. He said his health eventually affected everything from his work to the time he could spend with his family.

"I got a lot more time, because being on dialysis and diabetes, you get drained real quick," he said.

Preudhomme was already waiting for a kidney transplant when Northwell received approval in December to launch its pancreas transplant program. The hospital had to receive approval from the Health Resources and Services Administration and United Network for Organ Sharing as well as authorization from New York State before launching the program, Dr. Niraj Desai, director of Northwell's Center for Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation, said.

Doctors identified Preudhomme as one of the first patients who could benefit from receiving both organs at the same time.

Most individuals undergoing a pancreas transplant receive it and a kidney because the patients best suited for the procedure have Type 1 diabetes and have developed kidney failure as a complication, Desai said.

The call came at night, telling Preudhomme to come to the hospital and prepare for surgery.

After years of medical procedures, he said, he wasn't afraid.

He said he had been preparing for surgery, hoping to be free "from being on dialysis, from being diabetic ... for year after year."

Desai and transplant surgeon Dr. Lawrence Lau performed the surgery on May 13. The procedure is more complicated than a kidney transplant alone and carries a greater risk of complications, including clotting, Desai said.

But for the right patients, the benefits can be transformative.

Dr. Vinay Nair, medical director of Northwell's Center for Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation, said the procedure could dramatically improve both life expectancy and quality of life.

After a successful transplant, patients no longer need insulin or constant blood sugar monitoring, while the new pancreas can also help protect the transplanted kidney from damage caused by diabetes, he said.

Preudhomme has felt the difference in his daily life.

"I don't have to walk around [and] make sure I have insulin in my pocket," he said. "It's mind-blowing."

His wife, Christine Williams Preudhomme, said the transplant had changed life for the entire family.

Before the surgery, Preudhomme spent three days a week undergoing four-hour dialysis sessions that often left him exhausted.

"Now we get to talk about vacations and things like that," she said. "On dialysis, you really can't talk about those things."

The couple's 24-year-old son is also able to spend more time with his father, she said.

Recovery has not been easy, Williams Preudhomme said, but "it's worth it in the end."

Preudhomme's second chance began with another family's loss, he said. The family of his organ donor wrote to him, telling him about the man whose kidney and pancreas he received, including that the donor left behind a 5-year-old daughter.

"I cried for like five hours," Preudhomme said.

He struggles to find the words to describe what the transplant meant to him.

"I just appreciate it so much," he said. "I can't describe it. I'm just lucky."

Newsday's David Olson contributed to this story.