Alert dog for Junior diabetes (type 1)

My name is Jayden Jacobson, I am 12 years old. Everyday, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, I live with Type 1 Diabetes. It's not my Moms fault, or my Dad's fault or my fault. It just happens. And to me it happened when I was 10 years old. The best thing (and only good thing) about Type 1 Diabetes is that it won't kill me. At least not if I take care of myself by eating healthy, exercising often and giving myself between 6 and 10 shots of insulin per DAY! Everything I eat or drink I have to give myself an insulin shot for. If I don't keep up on my insulin and my blood sugar goes "high" I could go into diabetic ketoacidosis. I did that once and ended up in the ER. It wasn't fun! I strive to keep my blood sugar in range, meaning I need to keep it between 70 and 170, which sounds easy, but it is not. If my blood sugar goes out of range and I go too low then I could pass out or have a seizure. 

A lot of people these days wear various pieces of technology. Usually an insulin pump or constant glucose monitoring system, but these devices only make me more sick. Turns out, I am severely allergic to the materials used in the insertion needles. I have six dime size scars on my arms and back from the insulin pump. So, what I tell people is, "it is like I have T1 in 1980".  

I am raising money for a Diabetic Alert Service Dog. This will help me because dogs can be trained to smell blood sugar changes in a persons body and they will alert the T1 diabetic when their blood sugar goes out of range. A dog would help eliminate me having to check my blood sugar multiple times a day as well as wake me up in the middle of the night when my blood sugars often go dangerously low or out of range. 

To top it all off, I am the ONLY person in my school district with T1. Imagine the feeling of loneliness, being 12 years old and not having anyone to relate to or talk to about the struggles with diabetes. 

I am aiming to raise all $15,000 it would cost to purchase and train a service dog. Anything helps and I will appreciate everything!

Here is the link to the company we will be using when I can raise enough money.

www.diabeticalertdogsofamerica.com

Sincerely, Jayden