I’m 12 years old, and last year, when I was 11, my whole life changed. I was diagnosed with type one diabetes. I used to live a carefree life. Now it’s something I think about every single day. It’s with me when I wake up, when I’m at school, when I’m hanging out with my friends, and even when I’m trying to sleep. Having type one diabetes is really hard sometimes. I have to check my blood sugar all the time and make sure it’s not too high or too low. But the scariest part is that sometimes I can’t even tell when it’s happening. There are moments when my blood sugar drops low and I don’t feel it right away. Or it goes high and I just feel “off,” but I’m not sure why. It makes me feel nervous because I don’t always trust my own body anymore. Even though I use a Dexcom, it’s not perfect. Sometimes it’s delayed, or it beeps after I’m already feeling really bad. I try to be brave about it, but it’s exhausting always having to worry about numbers and alarms and what could happen if I don’t catch it in time. That’s why I really believe a service dog could help me so much. A diabetic alert dog can sense when blood sugar is changing, sometimes even before the technology does. They can alert you when you’re low or high, and they don’t just beep, they stay with you. They paw at you or nudge you and won’t stop until you notice. That makes me feel like I wouldn’t be alone anymore. I think having a service dog would help me feel safer and more confident. I wouldn’t be as scared to go to sleep at night or to focus in class. I could just be a kid more, instead of always feeling like I have to be my own nurse. A service dog wouldn’t just help with my blood sugar it would help my heart feel calmer too. I know I’m only 12, but I’ve already had to grow up a lot because of diabetes. I try my best every single day to take care of myself. I really believe a service dog could make a big difference in my life and help me feel more normal, more independent, and more safe.