Blake's Diabetic Alert Dog
Donation protected
My sweet nephew, Blake was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at 22 months. So, imagine through all of the crazy toddler behavior, you have now added needle injections, finger pricks and site changes and stripped him of his ability to eat without inhibition.
I tell my husband often that I don’t know how this family manages everyday without complaining. I have seen them patiently explain to Blake why they need to put a needle in his tummy, while he is screaming at them and yelling “no”. They sneak into his bedroom multiple times a night with a flashlight on their heads to check his sugar and not wake him. His parents live in fear that every minute they are not with him, something terrible could happen. (Read: They are NEVER not with him.)
My sister in law, Lynn, had a 5 year old son and was 7 months pregnant with her third child when my nephew, Blake was diagnosed. When they brought him into the hospital his blood sugar was over 800. To put that in perspective, a normal sugar reading registers roughly around 100.
I think Blake's daisgnosis has had such a profound impact on me because I grew up with a diabetic Dad. I learned from an early age how to notice high and low sugars and that the severity of lows could mean seizures, brain damage and in some cases, death. The advancements in technology continues to change the lives of everyone living with this disease-but that only helps so much.
Our sweet guy, Blake is now 5 and is the most happy and loving little boy. He has slowly started to understand how to cope with what this disease means to him but every day comes with a new challenge. He has slowly started to recognize when he "doesn’t feel right" but his parents are mostly at the mercy of his CGM (continuous glucose monitor) and sometimes it registers too late and there is already a problem. Now that he is five, he is active and loves to swim and play football. Both of these activities can cause rapid changes in blood sugar and the CGM is so delayed that it is ineffective.
BUT THERE IS HOPE! Not only is JDRF working diligently for a cure, but also there is a new "treatment". Diabetic Alert Dogs can now sense and alert people to high and low sugars based on scent.
The family was hesitant to ask for help in covering the cost of the dog but I am bossy, so here we are, with our Go Fund Me page. As I write this, Lynn is sitting “in the background” at a birthday party to manage Blake’s sugars. I’m hoping in a few months, Blake can go alone to enjoy the party with all of his friends. And his new dog can join him. :)
If you want to learn more about Diabetic Alert Dogs, or read about bringing our puppy home, visit http://ronsantofoundation.com/
I tell my husband often that I don’t know how this family manages everyday without complaining. I have seen them patiently explain to Blake why they need to put a needle in his tummy, while he is screaming at them and yelling “no”. They sneak into his bedroom multiple times a night with a flashlight on their heads to check his sugar and not wake him. His parents live in fear that every minute they are not with him, something terrible could happen. (Read: They are NEVER not with him.)
My sister in law, Lynn, had a 5 year old son and was 7 months pregnant with her third child when my nephew, Blake was diagnosed. When they brought him into the hospital his blood sugar was over 800. To put that in perspective, a normal sugar reading registers roughly around 100.
I think Blake's daisgnosis has had such a profound impact on me because I grew up with a diabetic Dad. I learned from an early age how to notice high and low sugars and that the severity of lows could mean seizures, brain damage and in some cases, death. The advancements in technology continues to change the lives of everyone living with this disease-but that only helps so much.
Our sweet guy, Blake is now 5 and is the most happy and loving little boy. He has slowly started to understand how to cope with what this disease means to him but every day comes with a new challenge. He has slowly started to recognize when he "doesn’t feel right" but his parents are mostly at the mercy of his CGM (continuous glucose monitor) and sometimes it registers too late and there is already a problem. Now that he is five, he is active and loves to swim and play football. Both of these activities can cause rapid changes in blood sugar and the CGM is so delayed that it is ineffective.
BUT THERE IS HOPE! Not only is JDRF working diligently for a cure, but also there is a new "treatment". Diabetic Alert Dogs can now sense and alert people to high and low sugars based on scent.
The family was hesitant to ask for help in covering the cost of the dog but I am bossy, so here we are, with our Go Fund Me page. As I write this, Lynn is sitting “in the background” at a birthday party to manage Blake’s sugars. I’m hoping in a few months, Blake can go alone to enjoy the party with all of his friends. And his new dog can join him. :)
If you want to learn more about Diabetic Alert Dogs, or read about bringing our puppy home, visit http://ronsantofoundation.com/
Organizer and beneficiary
Kristin Myros
Organizer
La Grange Park, IL
Lynn Davidson
Beneficiary
