Help Secure April's Diabetic Alert Dog

My name is April and I was diagnosed with type one diabetes in 2006, a few months after turning 5 years old. At the time, our dog, Katie (pictured in the photos), which had shown up on our front porch when I was 2, also had diabetes. My parents had to give her shots twice a day and make sure she ate all of her food. One day, my parents noticed something wasn’t right with me because I had some similar symptoms to Katie before she was diagnosed. They took me to our pediatrician and he told us to rush over to Children’s hospital where they would be waiting for us. You could say this dog basically saved my life. Without her and her own diabetes, I probably would not have been diagnosed as early and who knows where I would be today.

On average, type one diabetics make 180 extra decisions per day just to keep themselves alive. Something as simple as going on a walk can turn into an emergency situation for a multitude of reasons. Catching blood sugars before they get to this point also decreases the chance of long term side effects such as vision loss, nerve damage, and more.

Fast forward to now, I am in the process of getting a diabetic alert dog (service dog) or D.A.D. for short. This dog would alert for high or low blood sugars within their trained range based on scent, which is 10-15 minutes ahead (sometimes more) of any continuous glucose monitor. Utilizing a D.A.D. will allow for more peace of mind when traveling, going places alone, and even in day to day care to catch the swing of my blood sugar before it becomes an emergency.

Please consider donating to help cover expenses for training, travel, and care for my future D.A.D. If you are unable to donate at this time, please share with friends and family. Thank you for any contributions!

Link to Amazon wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/29USER45JH0T0?ref_=wl_share