Apex resident Scott Robinson suffers from uncontrollable diabetes and needs a pancreas transplant to survive. Friends and family are planning fundraisers to help with the expenses.

The Apex Lions Club is working with volunteers to plan a fish fry on Friday, March 19 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Lila E. Jones Swim Club, 309 Holleman St. in Apex. Tickets are $8, and advance purchase is preferred. For tickets or more information, please call Bekki Bennett at 919-522-2071.

Robinson, 48, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 25. After 10 years of treating the disease with insulin shots and eventually an insulin pump, he received a pancreas transplant in 1997. For 10 years, Robinson was doing well, but he began experiencing problems again in 2007. Doctors tried intense insulin therapy to no avail, and they say a second pancreas transplant is his only hope. He is on the waiting list at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

A pancreas transplant costs approximately $275,000. Even with health coverage, Robinson faces significant medical expenses. For the rest of his life, he will require follow-up care and daily anti-rejection medications.

The cost of post-transplant medications can range from $2,000 to $5,000 per month, and they are as critical to his survival as the transplant itself. Because the transplant will take place 850 miles from his home, he will also incur substantial travel and lodging expenses as he goes through treatment and recovery. Robinson’s wife, Kathy, will have to temporarily leave her job to care for him, further adding to their financial burdens.

To help alleviate some of the financial burden, Robinson turned to the National Foundation for Transplants (NFT) for assistance. NFT is a nonprofit organization that helps patients raise funds for transplant-related expenses.

“We work with patients like Scott every day,” said Lauren Wilmer, NFT fundraising consultant. “It’s heartbreaking to see all this family has already endured – physically, mentally, emotionally and financially – and NFT is committed to helping the Robinsons raise the necessary funds for Scott’s second transplant.” To make donations in honor of Robinson, please visit www.transplants.org and click on “patients we help” to search for him. If you prefer to mail your contribution, please send your gift to the NFT North Carolina Pancreas Fund, 5350 Poplar Ave., Suite 430, Memphis, TN 38119. Be sure to write “in honor of Scott Robinson” in the subject line.