Dogs 4 Type 1 Diabetics

In 2012, at the age of 12, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Initially, I was scared and thought that I wouldn’t be able to live a normal life, including hanging with my twin brother Alex or playing sports, and I also feared that my friends would treat me differently. Three years later – boy was I wrong! I am now a sophomore at Seven Hills High School, I’ve been an ambassador for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), a school senator, and I am lucky to have a great group of friends. I also play goalie on an AAA hockey team and play lacrosse for both my school team and the Cincinnati Royals. Through my school, the students each pick a challenge project where they do volunteer work in the community. For my project, I wanted to do something close to my heart, so I chose to help raise awareness for Type 1 diabetes, as well as the positive effects that having a service dog can have in assisting those with diabetes.

Diabetic Alert Dogs help their human partners maintain better control over their blood sugar levels, leading to improved short- and long-term health. My goal is to help teens in Cincinnati obtain Diabetic Alert Dogs. I am raising money to help Circle Tail, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides service and hearing dogs to people with disabilities, get another Diabetic Alert puppy and defray the cost of training, food and veterinary costs. It takes about two years to train a diabetic service dog before it can be placed with a family. All service dogs/diabetic alert dogs are donated to a person in need free of charge by Circle Tail. Trakr is our first puppy. 
Trakr will be trained to alert an individual with diabetes when their blood sugar level is too low. Trakr was named after the 9/11 rescue dog who helped find and save survivors out of the ruins of the world trade center. Thank you for your help in raising money for this cause and helping make a difference!