Congratulations Dr. Camillo Ricordi and Team!

A huge congratulations to Dr. Ricordi and his team for winning the D-Life's Top Award for 2010 for making the biggest difference in diabetes in 2010! Your, and your team's, hard work, dedication, never-give-up, it's-not-over-till-it's-over attitude, to the diabetes community and children like my son, Lenny, is truely inspirational! Your, and your team's, commitment to putting the DRI (and diabetes) out of business is greatly appreciated across the diabetes community and all over the world!

When Dr. Ricordi was congratulated on Facebook for winning the award, he was very thankful for the praise and the award, and modestly said:

Thank you all !!! This is indeed an amazing recognition, but it should be noticed that my team and I at the Diabetes Research Institute played only a small part in what has been a tremendous overall effort led by Craig Shriver, MD FACS, COL MC US Army and Dr. Raul Jindal at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The true hero is Tre Porfirio and I humbly accept this award in his memory and in his honor. I thank our scientists and staff and the DRI Foundation for the support that mad...e this work possible, and all of our supporters, our friends and families, who made the difference in this vote showing once again the power of being part of the CURE team :)

Who is Tre Porfirio?

Tre Porfirio was a USAF Airman who was stationed in Afghanistan in 2009. In November of 2009, when his company came under fire and he was severely wounded. His injuries included severe pancreas injuries (which could have left him living with extremely hard to control, life-threatening "brittle" Type 1 Diabetes, losing part of his stomach, gall bladder, intestines, and spleen.

The "work"

Dr. Rahul Jindal of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center called up Dr. Ricordi on Thanksgiving night in 2009, and asked if he could help save Tre's life. Without hesitation, Dr. Ricordi responded with:

'For a wounded warrior, I'll bring my whole team.'"

Being able to serve a wounded warrior who risked his life to defend us all, I can think of no better way to spend Thanksgiving.

Dr. Jindal removed Tre's pancreas, flew it to Dr. Ricordi at the Diabetes Research Institute on a 6 hour flight where Dr. Ricordi and his team worked hard to remove the islet cells from the pancreas and fly them back to Dr. Jindal in time to transplant them into Tre's liver with the help of Dr. Ricordi via internet communications, ultimately saving his life of constant blood sugar checks, insulin injections, and long term complications associated with Type 1 Diabetes.

Dr. Ricordi, Dr. Jindal, and their teams paved the way for the future of Type 1 Diabetes, and brought the world one step closer to finding a cure.

Sadly, Senior Airman Tre Porfirio died November 28, 2010. The cause of death is still unknown. He will be missed by many, thanked for generations to come for his bravery both on and off the battlefield, and has helped to bring a whole new definition of hope to the diabetes community.

To read more about Senior Airman Tre Porfirio, click here.

To read more about the Diabetes Research Institute, Dr. Ricordi, and his team, click here

Thank you, again, Dr. Ricordi & your team for all you do for those of us who live with Type 1 Diabetes. Your efforts, dedication, and friendly personalities truly make me believe that the DRI is "The Best Hope For A Cure!"