Diabetic Service Dog for Blair Hill

In the summer of 2012 my life changed forever. Over the period of 3-4 weeks I grew very tired. My day would begin by coming down the stairs, going directly to the refrigerator and guzzling down an entire bottled water in seconds. Next I would make my way to the sofa and immediately go back to sleep because I was so incredibly exhausted. Still in pull-ups at the time, I would continuously have accidents multiple times a day. Every time I took a nap and went to bed for the night I had to have my clothes and sheets changed due to accidents. By the 3rd week it was clear something was not right and my mother took me to see my pediatrician. My mom carried my limp body into the doctor's office in tears, desperate for some answers. In a matter of a few weeks I went from a vibrant child to a child with no smiles and not enough energy to even walk. As I lay in my mom's arms a nurse came in and pricked my finger...then I saw the sad look on the nurse's face as she looked at my doctor and began to cry. I saw the immediate terror in my mother's tearful eyes as she was told that it appeared that I had T1 diabetes. The doctor asked my mom if she was okay to drive straight from the doctor's office to the emergency room at the nearby hospital. We were told they would be waiting for me and would take me directly to pediatric ICU. That day June 18, 2012 is the day our lives changed forever. I spent the next week in ICU and then several additional days in the hospital as the doctors and nurses taught my parents how to care for me with this devastating disease. We continue to struggle to understand the logic of high and low glucose levels even after vigilant monitoring of carbs, fluids, and activity. Common colds, teething, growth spurts, weather/humidity, activity, rest, stress, only to name a few are all factors that have to be considered every hour of every day as we manage my diabetes.

We dream of another life changing day...the day when we get a diabetic service dog. Since I was diagnosed two years ago my parents have not left my side for more than 5 hours at a time for fear of the worse happening. This dream of having a service dog join our family seems so far in the distance due to financial constraints. However, I can't help but continue to dream of the day when I have a new best friend in my service dog and freedom from the fear of the worse happening. I begin kindergarten in the Fall of 2015 and our anxiety of that day continues to grow. Will the activity and daily routine negatively impact my health and well being? No one can say for sure. However, a service dog would help ease that fear. With a service dog I would have a companion by my side at all times to watch over me.