January 29th, 2024 was the day our lives changed. The events that led up to that day are still fresh in my mind and difficult to think about, let alone talk about, without becoming emotional. For myself, a lot of this is difficult because not only do I have a medical background, but Sean’s father does as well, and we missed so many signs.

Christmas break (2023) - After a full day of playing airsoft, Sean started complaining about muscle cramps, headache, and general fatigue. I immediately assumed Sean was dehydrated and had him drink a couple of Gatorades, take Tylenol, and grab something to eat. Sean felt better until a few days later when he started running a temperature. We took Sean to Urgent Care and found out he had the flu. By the time Christmas break was over, Sean was ready to return to school to see his friends, insisting he felt fine.

Over the next few weeks, Sean was back to his normal activities, which included TaeKwonDo practice twice a week for three hours at a time. He only complained at times about feeling run down, and we figured his body was still recovering.

Jan. 28th, 2024 - In the evening, just as Sean was heading to bed, he told me he didn't feel good and he might have to go to the doctor the next day.

Jan. 29th, 2024 - Sean came out to eat breakfast and told me he felt worse. His doctor's office was not open, so his dad took him to Urgent Care. As they walked out the door, I yelled out to Kelly to have them check Sean's glucose (not something normally done on pediatric patients at Urgent Care). Kelly came walking back in and asked me if I thought he was low... I told him Sean seemed off. 20 minutes later, I received a text telling me Sean needed to go to the ER. Urgent Care checked Sean's glucose on two different devices and brands; both came back with a "High" reading.

When we arrived at the ER, Sean started experiencing problems with his vision. He was rushed back to the Pediatric ER, and after hours of tests, we were told Sean was in DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis). His A1C came back as 14. The doctor told us he was concerned that Sean's kidneys might be damaged, and with Sean having problems with his vision, that added to the urgency.

Sean spent four days in the Pediatric ICU and was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Neither side of our families are diabetic, and this was something we would have never thought... in a million years.

The day before Sean was discharged, a nurse asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. Without hesitation, he said he wanted to join the military and then become a firefighter/paramedic like his dad. The nurse told Sean that he wouldn't be able to join the military because of him now being T1D, and that crushed him. After that, Sean shut down and did not want to talk about his future anymore. I told Sean, "God has a plan for you, it just might not be the plan you wanted." Sean said he was not okay with this plan and asked to be alone. It broke my heart knowing that Sean would not be able to do something he has felt so passionate about. Kelly gave Sean the news that he can still be a firefighter/paramedic as long as his A1C is under a certain number and being controlled.

Since Sean's diagnosis, he has had a hard time being able to tell when his glucose is about to drop. To make matters worse, the Dexcom device that he changes every 10 days and wears 24/7 fails at times, so he does not receive a warning that his glucose is and has been dropping. This has been an added stress factor at night when he is asleep. The only way he can control his A1C is by responding in a timely manner to his glucose as it rises and falls.

Over the past few months, Sean has decided to add additional activities to his schedule. He not only has his TaeKwonDo practice, he now volunteers his time during other TaeKwonDo classes to help with the younger kids, attends and volunteers for the church regularly, attends youth group, and now competes in TaeKwonDo tournaments.

Our plan to try and offer some normalcy to Sean's life is by getting him a dog that will be trained as a DAD (Diabetic Alert Dog). When looking into this, a completely trained service dog specializing in alerting for high and low glucose runs anywhere from $25,000-$50,000. After a lot of research, we have decided to purchase a puppy and have it trained.

The past few months have been spent looking into the best breed, breeder, and trainer. After much research, I have found a breeder and trainer who will both help to get Sean to that next step of his journey. Sean has already picked a name out for his service dog, Nova.

PRICE BREAKDOWN

As a parent, it is my job to make sure that when he looks back at his life, he sees we did everything we could for him.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I will be posting updates on here as things move forward.

Nicole &

Captain Kelly J. Hall