Can we survive without a fully functioning liver when it's become transplanted with pancreas islet cells?

Imagine if pancreas islet cells transplanted into your liver meant that you would be cured of diabetes! Well, apparently, this is what happened to Tre Porfirio, a US airman posted to Afghanistan. He’s only 21 years old, and after being hit by bullets, in the area of his pancreas, he basically became a diabetic! Not a nice way to go, being riddled with bullets, but the main thing he is still alive.

To read more about my burning questions going off in my sponge brain (and here I was saying I’d go to bed early ) - read on below - and let me know what your thoughts are - it sounds too good to be true.
http://www.diabetes1.org/forum/Transplantation/US_Airman_cured_of_diabetes

Well, they were his own islet cells… In T1, the islet cells are not the issue. The issue is the auto-immune attack that our own bodies make upon those cells. No matter where those islet cells are implanted in a T1, their T-cells will continue to destroy those cells and diabetes will continue.

This is an incredible story and an incredible advancement for those diabetics whose condition is caused by injury or some other non-autoimmune condition. I am so grateful that the staff at Walter-Reed realized this might and contacted DRI, this young man deserved this for the sacrifice he chose to make.

The knowledge gained will indeed be useful. Perhaps someday the auto-immune response will be stopped for all of us.