SHREVEPORT, La. — A Shreveport mother has become just the second person in Northwest Louisiana to undergo a breakthrough treatment that can delay the onset of type 1 diabetes. For Nina Mooney, the discovery and treatment have been an emotional journey.
In her 30s and a mother of three, Mooney developed gestational diabetes during each of her pregnancies. Over time, her blood sugar levels stayed in the pre-diabetic range before rising high enough for concern.
“It had been in the pre-diabetes range for a few years, and it finally knocked me into the diabetes range,” Mooney said. “My nurse practitioner said, ‘Well, let’s just do the type 1 antibody testing to rule it out.’ She wasn’t expecting it to come back positive — everything pointed to type 2.”
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune condition in which the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. In contrast, type 2 diabetes (T2D) develops when the body becomes resistant to insulin or doesn’t produce enough of it…