Diabetes donor case study: ‘I now have control’

Kimberley Hall, 31, couldn’t be left on her own over fears that she would suffer a hypoglycemic attack and fall into a fatal coma.

She was only the second person to have the treatment in the Capital, but said that her quality of life had improved by “100 per cent” following the procedure.

Kimberley’s husband, Robert, and their children Amy, 14, and Kirsty, ten, have also enjoyed the benefits of the advancement.

She said: “Robert can go out and play football without worrying now. And both of my daughters are type one diabetic, so it’s nice for them to know there’s research going on and that they have something to look forward to. It’s great that I’m not collapsing all the time and to have that feeling of control.”

However, Kimberley said: “There still aren’t enough donors to give other people like me a chance.”

Kimberley previously had a pancreas transplant, but after it failed she was offered the cell infusion treatment.

She has had to travel by bus from her home in Peebles to Midlothian, where she works in customer services for Ikea, after the number of hypoglycemic attacks she was suffering meant it was dangerous for her to drive.

However, with her condition now far more stable, she hopes that she will soon be behind the wheel again.