Mom has been in and out of hospitals since 1994, due to acute and now chronic debilitating abdominal pain. In 2013 she was diagnosed with Idiopathic Chronic Pancreatitis. Since then, she has tried many treatments and medicines and this year alone she has already been admitted 14 times to the hospital. A few months back she was put on a feeding tube to see if this would help, but unfortunately it did not. She was referred to University of Minnesota where she was seen by a team of doctors/surgeons that determined she met the qualifications for surgery. She is scheduled for TP-IAT surgery (Total Pancreatectomy with Auto Islet Transplantation) the non-technical term – full pancreas removal. We all are thrilled, but very scared. This procedure we were told will take 10-12 hours. We will be heading there mid-September to start with prep work. Once surgery is performed, she will stay at the hospital for a couple of weeks and then she must remain in the area for the following 6-8 weeks (we reserved a VRBO for that). Mom hasn't been able to work for some time due to her illness. Any monetary assistance we raise will go towards non covered medical expenses, lodging, and traveling expenses. Prayers, good thoughts, and positive manifestations will be truly appreciated. Feel free to contact us for specific details, dates, or locations we did not want to disclose entirely. Thank you very much for your kind support.