‘It’s my life’: Nebraska sisters trace diabetes back generations

By Bill Schammert

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    OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — Most people don’t bring fruit snacks to interviews with television news stations.

Twin sisters Gina Hoffman and Geri McVey are an exception.

“Every day is different,” Hoffman said.

She’s been living with Type 1 diabetes for about a decade. She was diagnosed when her daughter was born.

“It was a shock,” Hoffman said. “But I knew it was going to come. I knew it was eventually going to come.”

That’s because her twin sister also has the disease. McVey’s had a bit longer, though. She was diagnosed at 7 months old.

“It’s just my life,” she said. “It’s all I’ve ever known.”

According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 140,000 Nebraskans live with the disease, but only about 5% have Type 1. The other 95% have Type 2 diabetes.

Hoffman and McVey are part of that 5%. So was their grandmother. So was their great-grandmother.

So is Hoffman’s daughter.

“It was scary at first,” said 10-year-old Jaxyn Hoffman, who was diagnosed about a year ago. “But they already had it, so they could tell me what will happen and how it’ll go.”

Hoffman, an avid soccer player, said she’s playing even better than before the diagnosis.

“I thought my life would totally have to change because of diabetes,” she said. “Instead, I can do everything. Same things you can do in a normal life.”

McVey remembers first using pig insulin to control her diabetes. She remembers three to four insulin shots a day. She remembers 10-to-12 pokes to check her blood sugar.

Now, the last time she’s given herself insulin was about two months ago.

The technology has changed a bit.

“It’s saved my life,” she said.

McVey is on what she calls a closed-loop system. She has a device attached to her body that checks her blood sugar every five minutes and a pump that will give insulin if she needs it.

“The blood sugar readings are going to your phone, to your watch, and to your insulin pump,” McVey said.

The readings are also going to family members. Parents can monitor their kids’ blood sugar levels. Kids can track their parents’ levels.

McVey has turned her lifestyle into her job. She’s a diabetes educator and technology specialist with Nebraska Medicine.

“What helps me keep in check are my patients,” she said. “Helping others helps keep me on track.”

She was trained as a registered nurse but has specialized in diabetes education for the last decade.

“When they share experiences, I’m not going ‘Yes I know what I read in a book.’ I’m actually using my life experience to understand where they’re coming from.”

The family is sharing their story to let other people know they’re not alone — and if you know a family member that has Type 1 diabetes — pay attention to any warning signs.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warning signs can include fatigue, tingling in the arms and legs, unusual thirst, frequent trips to the bathroom, and blurry vision.

McVey already has a monitor on her young son, who’s showing some of the signs. It’s not a matter of when, but if, she said.

“I want to get under control,” McVey said. “I want to help others with getting diabetes under control, and I want to live my life and not worry about the other things that could happen over time.”

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