Help Madison get a Diabetic Alert Dog
Hey everyone!
My name is Cindy Greenslade, my daughter Madison Porter is 6 years old & lives in Conception Bay South, Newfoundland. She is the sweetest, spunkiest little girl with the biggest heart and best hugs!
July 13th, 2018 was the day her life (and those closest to her) changed forever.
She was outside playing, enjoying summer but was extremely thirsty, she couldn’t get enough water but as fast as she was drinking it, she was losing it through urinating. It was like she needed a hose and bucket. Thinking back, I realized she had been like it a few days but thought it was because it was a nice hot week!
Luckily she was able to get in to see her family doctor and it was there the journey began.
Madison’s glucose reading was 42! She was sent immediately to the Janeway Children’s Hospital and to PICU where she was diagnosed as Type 1 diabetic.
What is Type 1 Diabetes (T1D)?
Type 1 Diabetes is a autoimmune disease that stops your body from producing insulin, it cannot be controlled with food or exercise alone. She needs insulin to live. She does not yet have an insulin pump and is on a wait list for that.
How will a DAD benefit Madison?
She is HYPO-UNAWARE meaning she doesn’t feel her lows or highs. A trained Diabetic Alert Dog (DAD) can sense changes in the blood chemistry through bodily scents and alert her and others to those changes that could save her life. Even with many adjustments to Madison’s insulin, she tends to drop overnight while sleeping. With her not able to tell she’s dropping, this is scary. Actually, terrifying. She could easily go into a coma, or worse it could be life threatening. My biggest fear is going to check her sugars one night and it being to late.
Applications are still being sent and filled out to specific organizations North America Wide and to the US. This is typically a long and costly process & DADs can cost upwards of $25,000. We are looking into grants that may be available and many other options but this is still going to come with a hefty price tag.
Insurance doesn’t cover the cost so we are looking at fundraising to help.
* We am aware some organizations place DADs with families at no cost but there is an age requirement of the child being 10. Madison is only 6 years old so unfortunately she doesn’t qualify through these & fundraising is necessary.
I’d like to thank everyone in advanced for your donations and shares .
They say it takes a village to raise a child, let’s all be Madisons village.
