Diabetes Alert Dog for Bella
Donation protected
Isabella is a brave young girl. She was diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) at the age of 22 months. She received weekly injections and lab work every 2-3 months for 4 years. She has, thankfully, been in remission for 3 years now. The doctors have told her that if she is in remission for 5 years she may be cleared...otherwise she is likely to relapse in the next 2 years.
In 2015 she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (DM1) and Celiac disease. She checks her blood sugar up to 7x/day and has blood work done routinely. Her insulin pump is changed out every 3 days and her continuous glucose monitor (CGM) 1x/week (more pokes). Although these are lifelong conditions that she must face, she handles them gracefully.
As she is maturing, she has voiced her concerns regarding her future with diabetes such as, "Will someone want to marry me?" "Who's going to take care of me when I'm old?" etc. Even after all these questions she states that she is okay with having diabetes because she has the proper care in place and a strong faith.
This summer, as we were traveling to visit family, we faced some set-backs with the CGM. This monitor alerts us of highs and lows. We love this technology as it gives us trends and helps us manage her diabetes a little bit better. It has it's limitations though. When she was in the pool it didn't detect her low. She went from the mid 300's to 42 within the 1st hour. It gives us false readings when too high or too low, which means more unnecessary finger pokes especially at night, or missed lows.
Diabetes alert dogs are trained to alert when they smell a change in blood sugar. Having an alert dog would not only offer her companionship and comfort but will help her recognize lows and highs in a timely manner. Bella does not always feel when her sugar is low especially when she is asleep at night. She would be free to participate in activities without the fear of the CGM not picking up readings properly.
Please help Bella get her Diabetes Alert Dog!
We are working with Canine Hope for Diabetics (a local non-profit) in the training and placement of an alert dog for Bella. You may also donate directly to them and mention you are donating towards Bella.
http://www.caninehopefordiabetics.com/make-a-donation/
In 2015 she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (DM1) and Celiac disease. She checks her blood sugar up to 7x/day and has blood work done routinely. Her insulin pump is changed out every 3 days and her continuous glucose monitor (CGM) 1x/week (more pokes). Although these are lifelong conditions that she must face, she handles them gracefully.
As she is maturing, she has voiced her concerns regarding her future with diabetes such as, "Will someone want to marry me?" "Who's going to take care of me when I'm old?" etc. Even after all these questions she states that she is okay with having diabetes because she has the proper care in place and a strong faith.
This summer, as we were traveling to visit family, we faced some set-backs with the CGM. This monitor alerts us of highs and lows. We love this technology as it gives us trends and helps us manage her diabetes a little bit better. It has it's limitations though. When she was in the pool it didn't detect her low. She went from the mid 300's to 42 within the 1st hour. It gives us false readings when too high or too low, which means more unnecessary finger pokes especially at night, or missed lows.
Diabetes alert dogs are trained to alert when they smell a change in blood sugar. Having an alert dog would not only offer her companionship and comfort but will help her recognize lows and highs in a timely manner. Bella does not always feel when her sugar is low especially when she is asleep at night. She would be free to participate in activities without the fear of the CGM not picking up readings properly.
Please help Bella get her Diabetes Alert Dog!
We are working with Canine Hope for Diabetics (a local non-profit) in the training and placement of an alert dog for Bella. You may also donate directly to them and mention you are donating towards Bella.
http://www.caninehopefordiabetics.com/make-a-donation/
Organizer
Noemi Avila
Organizer
Menifee, CA
