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Mississippians can learn more about an approaching cure for diabetes during a Saturday conference in Jackson that will also explore diabetes burnout, research and nutrition.
“Taking Charge of Your Diabetes; Living Life Without Limits!” is the theme of the Super Conference staged by the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi starting at 8:30 a.m. at the Marriott Hotel.
Henry Anhalt, medical director of the Artificial Pancreas Program at Animas Corp., which makes insulin pumps, is among the featured speakers.
The mechanical pancreas, still in development, would prevent serious highs and lows in blood sugar levels.
“If it works out, it would basically be a cure for Type 1 diabetes,” said Mary Fortune, executive vice president of the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi.
“This is huge for all of us who live with diabetes, especially Type 1 because of the struggles we have in regulating insulin.”
Mini sessions of the foundation’s Camp Kandu for children, ages 4-12, will begin at 8:30 a.m.
Parents also will be able to have their children tested for markers that could predict the development of diabetes.
“This meeting is for everyone who has diabetes, for their families and for children,” Fortune said.
“It’s an opportunity to have access to national and local experts on diabetes.”
Such a gathering of experts is especially relevant in Mississippi, a haven for diabetes and obesity.
Returning to his home state for the conference will be Ripley native Kendall Simmons, a former NFL lineman who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes his rookie year with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Type 1 diabetes is a disorder that destroys the body’s ability to make insulin; patients with this type must replace lost insulin with shots or an insulin pump.
Type 2 diabetes, the most common form, is a disease marked by high levels of sugar, or glucose, in the blood.
A frequent speaker on the topic of managing the disease, Simmons will discuss “Tackling Diabetes.”
The subject of diabetes burnout will be addressed by William Polonsky, founder of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute in San Diego.
