Leilani's Fight Against Type 1 Diabetes!

To all our incredible friends, family, and helpers, THANK YOU! Your support means the world to us. Our daughter, Leilani, is a WARRIOR! She is an amazing little girl. She is bright, funny, and loving. She loves to eat, spend time with her family, especially siblings, playing Roblox with her best friend, going to the playground, and swimming. We just adore her so much and want the absolute best for her.

Leilani had just turned 4 when our lives changed forever; she was diagnosed with TYPE 1 DIABETES. Living with this diagnosis is a huge challenge for her. I quickly learned that diabetes requires 24/7 monitoring. With her playing outside, swimming, or doing any physical activities, she loses signal on her CGM, which makes these activities very challenging. When Leilani is not feeling well or is sad or anxious, it affects her blood sugars. We work every day not to allow diabetes to define her. However, Type 1 Diabetes impacts her life every day. There are decisions every hour of every day in order to keep her blood sugar in a healthy range. Leilani's blood sugar must be monitored throughout the nights as well. I am thankful for modern technology as I am able to follow Leilani’s CGM and alert me as a backup during the night. Due to exhaustion, I have missed a few low blood sugars, which can be a matter of life and death. Blood sugar that is too high leaves Leilani feeling awful, irritable, unable to participate in school, in activities she loves, and leaves her at risk of future complications. On the other hand, low blood sugar is more immediately threatening and, if left untreated, can lead to seizures, unconsciousness, and worse. Leilani uses a continuous glucose monitor as one of the essential tools to manage her diabetes. The CGM reduces finger pricks and alarms to lows and highs; however, technology is not always reliable, and currently, she does not always feel and respond to her blood sugar changes. This increases her risk of life-threatening consequences due to fluctuating blood sugar. Leilani is a WARRIOR! She has also battled Stage 3 KIDNEY CANCER! There was a large mass that measured 15.1 x 12.5 x 11.3 in her right kidney. She had to undergo a 7-hour unsuccessful surgery. They were not able to remove the tumor (Mr. No Business Guy) — that’s the name Leilani gave her tumor. They placed her port, and she began treatment with chemotherapy and radiation for 6 weeks. Lots of side effects, including losing weight and all of her hair. She then had to have her successful surgery #2, where they were able to remove Mr. No Business Guy and her right kidney. She still had to continue treatment for some time. Lots of emergency room visits and unplanned admissions to the hospital. Leilani is now CANCER FREE. She is still going to her visits to oncology/hematology. Leilani just went through her 3rd surgery for an obstruction in her small intestine due to her previous surgeries. Leilani has endured a lot in the last 3 years. I am moving out of my comfort zone and asking for help to get Leilani a diabetic alert dog, as I had to stop working to attend to her needs 24/7. All breeders undergo health testing before breeding, provide health guarantees, and conduct a puppy aptitude test to ensure that the puppies are well-suited for service work. A diabetic alert dog goes through intensive training to alert a low/high blood sugar before it happens. A diabetic alert dog will accompany Leilani to school, doctor’s appointments, activities, and outings to alert us of her low or high blood sugars when her CGM loses signal.