What started as a parent-therapist relationship, then transitioned to co-workers then besties/soul sister. To those privileged to have Bri in your lives, you know that she does everything with her whole heart. She is kind and compassionate, with a brain that is always working to help problem-solve challenges that come your way because she loves deeply. She is an invaluable member of my village and it is my honor to be a part of hers as well.

This past year has been full of a variety of changes and challenges for the Picht family. Keith is 2 years into his Doctorate in Chiropractic. This intensive program has been demanding academically, emotionally, and financially. Bri has picked up extra clients to help support Keith in his pursuit, truly working as a team to chase dreams. Then came the unexpected yet beautiful surprise: Miss Hannah Grace. There have been some curveballs thrown their way, but nothing they couldn’t handle… with the support of their village.

However, in early February, what seemed like a routine doctor’s appointment quickly turned her family’s world upside down. Kensley was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and this was a start of a whole new journey. T1D became their whole world just before Bri went into labor. Somehow at 33-34 weeks pregnant, Bri found strength even she didn’t know she had. But as a friend, I felt so helpless about how to help. From the outside, this new journey looked like unexpected hospital stays and loss of income creating new financial strains, poke after poke after poke with tears for everyone, abrupt ending to phone calls because alarms were going off, rollercoaster highs and lows, and nights with upwards of 40-50 alarms preventing any amount of quality sleep. This new journey was so much to carry, and I wanted to find a way to help share the burden… to help them know they don’t have to walk this path alone.

Raising kids and handling the challenges that life throws our way truly does take a village. And when I pair that with my faith, I know it’s more than a village… this is how we can be the Church. What feels overwhelming, or even impossible, to one feels so much more manageable when we all carry it together. This is our opportunity to surround Bri, Kensley, and the whole Picht family and be the village Bri has so graciously provided to many.

One tangible way to lighten the load is fundraising for a Diabetic Alert Dog. When families are left to their own finances, this feels like an unachievable goal. But together, we can achieve so much more!

Please take a moment to read the education and insight Bri has to share and consider donating to help bring home a guardian for sweet Kensley!

_____________________________________

Straight from a momma's heart, words from Bri:

Within a few weeks concerning symptoms quickly started that brought high alert to Keith and myself so we questioned the pediatrician at new patient appointment and in an instant our world was shattered. What should have been a quick visit to the pediatrician turned into a terrifying race to the ER, followed by a 2 night stay and multiple visits from nurses, doctors and educators. On February 4th, 2026, we received the news that changed everything: Kensley was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

At just two and a half years old, Kensley has a big and bright personality. But behind her sweet, sassy smile, she is fighting a daily battle that would exhaust anyone. While Keith continued his demanding studies, I spent six agonizing hours in a "crash course" on how to keep our daughter alive, which if I’m honest, continues to be a blur of a day.

One thing that keeps us afloat is knowing God designed Kensley so strong, smart and resilient for this exact diagnosis. It has brought about strength Keith and myself never knew we had in us. We were notified that when her symptoms started showing to us within the past couple weeks, she was internally dealing with this for at least 3 months prior.

The Unseen Reality of T1D Care:

Managing T1D in a toddler isn’t just a medical routine; it’s a 24/7 fight for her safety. There are no breaks. Every meal is a math equation of carb counting, every nap is a gamble, and every night is spent hovering over a monitor. As summer approaches we are also learning the challenges in a T1D in the heat and with additional exercise/activity.

Every 2–3 days, we must perform a procedure that breaks our hearts: we remove her old infusion site and use a needle device to insert a new cannula into her tiny body. This is the only way she receives the insulin her body desperately needs, yet it’s a process fraught with tears and adhesive tape. Every 10 days (if it survives that long) she gets a new Continuous Glucose Monitor.

The Limits of Technology:

Kensley wears a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM), which is a modern marvel, but it is far from perfect.

• The Benefit: It gives us a window into her blood sugar levels without 24 finger pricks a day.

• The Risk: These devices can be off by as much as 80 mg/dL and often have a 15-minute delay. In a toddler who cannot yet say "Mommy I feel shaky" or "My head hurts" 15 minutes is an eternity. Which often still results in multiple finger poke to ensure proper sugar levels.

Because Kensley lacks "hypo-awareness"- the ability to feel her blood sugar crashing- we live in a state of constant hypervigilance. We are tethered to the shrill scream of alarms that signal her body is entering the danger zone, whether high or low. We recently had an incident where she had been outside swimming. Once we returned inside, her monitor showed 139. However she verbalized "I feel so tired momma" and my mom gut said we needed to do a finger poke. Sure enough, her blood glucose was 69. If I had not checked, the the time the alarms notified us she could have easily been in a detrimental state (which can occur at a level of 55.) This was just one of many incidents that have occurred since her diagnosis.

Our Hope: A Living, Breathing Safety Net:

Our vibrant, joyful two-year-old daughter is facing a battle she is too young to understand. Living with Type 1 Diabetes means her life depends on constant monitoring. Because she is a toddler, she cannot tell us when she feels sick or advocate for her own health. That is why we are turning to our community to help us bring home a Diabetic Alert Dog (DAD)—a dog that will be far more than a companion. It will be her life-saving guardian. Unlike medical technology, these highly trained service dogs can scent the chemical changes in a person’s body before a sensor even registers a drop or spike.

Type 1 Diabetes never sleeps, making nighttime the most terrifying time for our family. A DAD can scent and alert us to a dangerous low blood sugar crash in the middle of the night long before it escalates into a seizure or loss of consciousness. While we use continuous glucose

monitors, technology can lag, lose signal, or give inaccurate readings. This highly trained service dog provides a living, breathing layer of protection that devices simply cannot replicate.

Beyond the nighttime vigilance, this dog will restore a sense of normalcy to our entire household and allow our daughter to just be a kid. Right now, our days are tightly tethered to medical devices and phones that easily get lost in the beautiful chaos of raising multiple children.

With a Diabetic Alert Dog by her side, our family gains invaluable freedom:

- True Toddler Freedom: She can run, tumble, and play with her sisters without Keith or me constantly hovering over her.

- Carefree Adventures: She can splash around during swim days and explore every corner of "Poppy's farm" with pure, uninterrupted joy.

- A Safe Backup: The dog acts as a foolproof safety net when phone alerts fail or lag during active outdoor play.

- Peace for Her Sisters: Her siblings can just enjoy making childhood memories with her, free from the heavy worry of a medical emergency.

How You Can Help:

The cost of a fully trained DAD ranges from $15,000 to $30,000, and because they are not covered by insurance, the burden falls entirely on us. We have partnered with the Loyal Guardian Foundation, a Veteran and faith-based organization we trust deeply, to find Kensley’s protector.

Your donations will go directly toward:

- Kensley’s Service Dog: The acquisition and intensive training of her guardian.

- Critical Medical Supplies/Needs: Specialized adhesives to keep her sites on, emergency glucagon kits, and insulin costs. Potentially loss of income from missing work to care for Kensley’s needs if hospitalizations were to occur again.

- Ongoing Support: Training to ensure the dog and Kensley work as a seamless team.

Any amount brings us one step closer to letting Kensley just be a little girl again. If you cannot donate, please share our story.

Thank you for being part of the Picht family village. We couldn't do this without you!