Page 16 - South Mississippi Living - February, 2023

COAST NOTE
MEET LAUREN LADNER
One of the Many Faces of Diabetes
story by John Webb photos courtesy of the Ladner Family and the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi
After Lauren Ladner was hospitalized at age 9 with a frighteningly high glucose level of 1600 mg/dl (normal is less than 140 mg/dl) and a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, she made a decision:
“I resolved from the beginning
that I never wanted to be treated differently,” says Ladner, now a vibrant and energetic high school senior whose bright eyes and winning smile reveal one determined young woman.
Ladner received get well cards
from all of her Saucier Elementary classmates, but she did have to counter schoolyard myths about her condition. “A few along the way have told me that I ate too much sugar and that’s why I have diabetes,” says Lauren, who won her third grade teacher’s Brave-Heart Award.
Type 1 (formerly juvenile) diabetes is not brought on by diet or lifestyle but is considered an autoimmune response to triggers like viruses, environmental factors, and even stress.
“Lauren felt hurt and ashamed when her classmate made that comment,” says her mother, Suzy Ladner. “As a parent of a type 1 teen, I have a huge problem with the false beliefs out there. Everyone assumes you overeat and make bad food choices.”
But no such nonsense holds Ladner back. Not only does she have
the smarts to manage the rapidly evolving complexities of diabetes
technology – continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and insulin pumps, for instance – but she also has a life that is easily as exciting and hectic as that of her nondiabetic peers.
“I’ve played basketball and volleyball in middle school and
high school and have been so
blessed to have traveled to New
York City, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta on school trips,” Ladner says, largely crediting her CGM for such independence. “Of course, the support of teachers and school staff has been instrumental in overcoming any limitations.”
Today, Ladner plans to pursue a bachelor’s in nursing at William Carey University. She says she chose the field “because nurses have had such a positive influence on me and played a vital role in my journey with this disease.”
Says one of her role models, elementary school nurse Chasity Thrash, R.N., “Over the years we had a lot of laughs and a few tears, but I’m so proud of the young lady Lauren has become. I cannot wait to see what amazing things she will do in the future!”
Ladner and her family will join Mississippi’s Walk for Diabetes- Gulf Coast at Jones Park, Gulfport, on Saturday, March 4 at 9 a.m. For details, call the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi at 1.601.957.7878, visit msdiabetes.org, or message msdiabetes@msdiabetes.org.
ABOVE: Lauren Ladner.
BELOW: Larry, Lauren, Jordan and Suzy Ladner.
Walk for Diabetes-Gulf Coast Saturday, March 4
16 | February 2023
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