After some hesitation about starting a fundraiser—because asking for help does not come naturally to me—we had several people reach out after hearing about McCoy’s journey, wanting to help make his dream of having a diabetic alert dog come true. With their encouragement, we began fundraising, and at the end of July, McCoy was officially matched with a puppy of his own: Copper.

Copper is an Australian Labradoodle who has officially started training with Bowen Elite Service Dogs to become McCoy’s diabetic alert dog. Watching him learn and knowing that all of this training is preparing him to one day be beside McCoy makes this dream feel so much more real.

We are so grateful for how far we’ve come, but we still have a little way to go before Copper’s training is fully funded.

Many of you know our son McCoy as an energetic, basketball-loving, bass-fishing 11-year-old who is always on the move. McCoy was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 7 years old.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body stops producing insulin. Managing it requires constant attention—monitoring blood sugar, counting carbohydrates, giving insulin through a pump, treating highs and lows, and making decisions day and night.

McCoy uses incredible technology, including a Dexcom CGM and Tandem Mobi insulin pump, but diabetes can still be unpredictable, especially with sports, activity, sleep, illness, and everyday life. I sometimes joke that he is just a little harder to keep alive, but behind that joke is the reality that Type 1 diabetes never takes a break.

One of the moments that pushed us to seriously pursue a diabetic alert dog was experiencing the lowest blood sugar we had ever seen for McCoy. Thankfully, we caught it quickly and treated it, but that moment stayed with me.

A diabetic alert dog is not a replacement for McCoy’s diabetes technology or the care we already provide. Copper will be an additional layer of safety. Through extensive scent training, diabetic alert dogs can learn to recognize changes in blood sugar and alert their handler when levels are moving too high or too low.

Copper has a long training journey ahead of him before he is ready to come home to McCoy, and we are so excited to share his progress along the way.

If you feel led to donate, we are incredibly grateful. If donating is not possible, sharing this fundraiser is just as meaningful and helps Copper’s story reach people we could never reach on our own. Thank you for loving McCoy and our family, cheering Copper on, and helping us get one step closer to bringing them together.