"Just in case," laughed Vincent Vanetta, the president and CEO of Pan "Cre" Us, a Manhattan-based maker of artificial pancreas devices.
"In the unfortunate event that Mr. Lopez is to catch diabetes like he caught that baseball, we at Pan "Cre" Us would like to reassure this young hero that he'll be taken care of," Vanetta, an avid Yankee fan, added.
Lopez says he plans to use the artificial pancreas as a paperweight for piles of hundred dollar bills.
The donation of the artificial pancreas comes on the heels of a whirlwind week for 23-year-old Christian Lopez, who caught and returned Derek Jeter's historic 3,000th hit.
For his selfless and sportsmanlike gesture, the Yankees organization rewarded Lopez with four tickets in a box-suite for the remainder of the season and Jeter offered three signed bats, three signed baseballs and three signed jerseys.
Earlier in the week, Modell's Sporting Goods donated 5 percent of its Yankees merchandise sales through Tuesday to Lopez and Miller High Life brewing company offered to pay Lopez's tax bill from gifts received by the Yankees. Furthermore, Modell's CEO Mitch Modell presented Lopez with his 2009 Yankees World Series ring.
To top things off (pardon the pun), sports trading card maker Topps announced Wednesday that they will produce a Christian Lopez baseball card.
Even more good news came for Lopez on Thursday as the community rallied behind his generosity. City Hall announced that tough meats will be pre-chewed for Lopez by New York City Police Department Commissioner Raymond Kelly and through August, his ass will be wiped with toilet paper from George Steinbrenner's private clubhouse bathroom by Yankee legend Yogi Berra.
And finally, actress Mila Kunis has announced that she will accompany Christian Lopez to the Marine Corps Ball in North Carolina on Nov. 18.
When asked if an artificial pancreas would be better served and donated to a person currently living and struggling with diabetes, the chief executive of Pan "Cre" Us said ...
"Neh. Not unless their last name is Jeetah."
