I Found My Boy! Diabetic Alert Dog
Donation protected
My name is Rory and I am getting trained to have the best job ever. I am about to graduate from diabetic alert dog school and a few weeks ago I met MY Boy! His name is Michael when he and his mom came to my home at Wildrose Kennels in Oxford, MS, for a training seminar. I knew right away that we would be the Best Friends Ever!! I will say he wasn’t as excited as me when we first met… no tail wag or anything… and it took me a minute to get him smiling but man once he did it was AWESOME!
I heard his mom explaining his situation. Type one juvenile diabetes complicated with an adrenal problem. They talked about a lot of clinical stuff… but bottom line… my boy has had a history of seizures since he was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 9 but this year in particular he has had a ton of seizures due to low blood sugar. Yeah he has an insulin pump, yes he sets alarms to check his blood sugars, but so many things make it difficult to catch the severe and unexpected blood sugar swings. To make it worse, he does not show symptoms when his blood sugar gets too low. Even when he has been with other people, he can be talking normally one minute and then suddenly, without any symptoms (sweating, shaking, dizziness, nausea, etc.) he will have a seizure. His mom will explain more about his situation below... right now I just want to say ... I think I found MY BOY!
See he wants to be more independent but his situation is pretty scary for his mom and frustrating for him. Ta-da!!! That’s where I come in…He needs ME and I will help him stay on track. I promise if you will help us be together that I will take really good care of him and give him some hope for a normal life with me by his side the whole time! Bonus…. He LOVES to play Frisbee!!! This is definitely a win-win! Please help us. They have to raise a lot of money but I am worth it! Thanks! Rory… the wonder dog!
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Michael's Journey with Diabetes & Addison’s
When Michael was 8 years old he had several bouts with what we thought was a 24-hour stomach “Bug”. I had scheduled an appointment with his pediatrician on a Monday morning because I feared he might be dehydrated from the “bug”. While getting ready for his appointment that morning, Michael suddenly collapsed and had to be transported to the ER. His body temperature was dangerously low and the Doctors were scrambling to find a medical explanation. Eventually, his grandmother mentioned to the doctors that she was a Diabetic and that she also had Addison’s disease. Immediately, the doctors realized that Michael was having an Addisonian Crisis, a rare, chronic endocrine system disorder in which the adrenal glands do not produce sufficient steroid hormones. Steroid hormones aid the body by controlling the metabolism, inflammation, immune function, salt and water balance and the ability to withstand illness and injury.
The episode was traumatic but we were fortunate that it was diagnosed fast enough to prevent permanent damage. We researched and found an excellent pediatric endocrinologist at Emory Healthcare named Dr. Inger Hansen. His doctor informed us that because Michael had Addison’s, an autoimmune disease, he now had a higher risk factor for other autoimmune diseases. Michael had appointments with Dr. Hansen every three months to monitor him and the dosage of his medications; he also had to undergo glucose tolerance testing every few months. A week before his 9th birthday, Michael was officially diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, making him insulin dependent. It was a devastating development that as a parent I was not fully prepared to embrace for my young son. These are both lifelong conditions that must be managed daily.
Within a year of his diagnosis with diabetes, Michael suffered his first hypoglycemic seizure. The brain needs sugar to function so if the blood sugar falls too low the brain’s innate function to maintain life will begin shutting down other organs, which quickly leads to a Grand Mal seizure. Unlike an epileptic who will recover after a seizure, which is caused by a disturbance in the electrical activity of the brain, a diabetic who suffers a seizure due to low blood sugar cannot recover without immediate medical intervention to elevate the blood sugar.
Additional seizures followed and it was discovered that Michael had one of the more distressing problems associated with diabetes “hypoglycemic unawareness”. Typically a person will experience warning symptoms when their blood goes low, such as shaking and sweating caused by the release of stress hormones. However, with hypoglycemic unawareness Michael often does not recognize a low blood sugar nor is he symptomatic until after the seizure occurs. This is especially problematic when he is sleeping. Every night he sets his alarm for 3:00 am to check his blood sugar in an effort to catch any unexpected low that could lead to a seizure. Again, it is imperative that when a seizure is the result of a low blood sugar, someone else must be with him to administer a Glucagon and to call 911; otherwise coma and death would quickly ensue.
Over the last 14 years, Michael has suffered from more seizures than I can even count. It is always a traumatic event for everyone involved and we are grateful that his seizures have all been treated in time. Unfortunately, over the last year Michael has had over a dozen seizures. His girlfriend Vivian and her family have saved Michael’s life on six different occasions, always in the middle of the night, by injecting him with a glucagon and by calling 911. In that same time frame he also experienced seven additional seizures at home. Recently, one particularly alarming seizure occurred at home after his 3:00 am check. Michael's blood sugar dropped suddenly and he had a seizure but no one heard him or was aware of the event. Fortunately, by pure luck, we were awaken from the sound of his pump alarming because it ran out of insulin, had that not occurred, it would have been too late the next morning.
The biggest fear for us is exactly that scenario, that no one is aware that a seizure has occurred, so he is not treated or 911 called in time to save his life. This is where a Diabetic Alert Dog would make a huge difference by alerting and giving Michael the necessary time to take measures against having a seizure and keeping better control of his blood sugar on a daily basis. Better blood sugar control would also increase Michael’s overall wellness and health.
We had discussed the possibility of a Diabetic Alert Dog, known as D.A.D.’s, in the past but the cost was always a barrier. However, we can no longer afford to jeopardize Michael’s health because of the expense. After researching online and talking with a variety of organizations that train these very specialized diabetic alert dogs, we discovered Wildrose Kennels in Oxford, MS.
Wildrose is a well-respected kennel that breeds and trains British Labradors. We have attended two training seminars and Michael has been matched with a wonderful dog, named Rory. In January, Michael and Rory trained together under the supervision of Wildrose’s trainer and Director of the Diabetic Alert Dog program, Sharon Stinson.
We hope that this summary of Michael’s journey living with diabetes and Addison’s provides an understanding of the constant work and struggle involved in controlling these medical conditions. Our entire family appreciates your time and interest in assisting us in reaching the monetary goal to assist with all the expenses of providing Michael with a diabetic alert dog and the necessary ongoing training. We wish you and your loved ones health and happiness.
With Gratitude,
The Skillas Family
I heard his mom explaining his situation. Type one juvenile diabetes complicated with an adrenal problem. They talked about a lot of clinical stuff… but bottom line… my boy has had a history of seizures since he was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 9 but this year in particular he has had a ton of seizures due to low blood sugar. Yeah he has an insulin pump, yes he sets alarms to check his blood sugars, but so many things make it difficult to catch the severe and unexpected blood sugar swings. To make it worse, he does not show symptoms when his blood sugar gets too low. Even when he has been with other people, he can be talking normally one minute and then suddenly, without any symptoms (sweating, shaking, dizziness, nausea, etc.) he will have a seizure. His mom will explain more about his situation below... right now I just want to say ... I think I found MY BOY!
See he wants to be more independent but his situation is pretty scary for his mom and frustrating for him. Ta-da!!! That’s where I come in…He needs ME and I will help him stay on track. I promise if you will help us be together that I will take really good care of him and give him some hope for a normal life with me by his side the whole time! Bonus…. He LOVES to play Frisbee!!! This is definitely a win-win! Please help us. They have to raise a lot of money but I am worth it! Thanks! Rory… the wonder dog!
***********************************************************
Michael's Journey with Diabetes & Addison’s
When Michael was 8 years old he had several bouts with what we thought was a 24-hour stomach “Bug”. I had scheduled an appointment with his pediatrician on a Monday morning because I feared he might be dehydrated from the “bug”. While getting ready for his appointment that morning, Michael suddenly collapsed and had to be transported to the ER. His body temperature was dangerously low and the Doctors were scrambling to find a medical explanation. Eventually, his grandmother mentioned to the doctors that she was a Diabetic and that she also had Addison’s disease. Immediately, the doctors realized that Michael was having an Addisonian Crisis, a rare, chronic endocrine system disorder in which the adrenal glands do not produce sufficient steroid hormones. Steroid hormones aid the body by controlling the metabolism, inflammation, immune function, salt and water balance and the ability to withstand illness and injury.
The episode was traumatic but we were fortunate that it was diagnosed fast enough to prevent permanent damage. We researched and found an excellent pediatric endocrinologist at Emory Healthcare named Dr. Inger Hansen. His doctor informed us that because Michael had Addison’s, an autoimmune disease, he now had a higher risk factor for other autoimmune diseases. Michael had appointments with Dr. Hansen every three months to monitor him and the dosage of his medications; he also had to undergo glucose tolerance testing every few months. A week before his 9th birthday, Michael was officially diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, making him insulin dependent. It was a devastating development that as a parent I was not fully prepared to embrace for my young son. These are both lifelong conditions that must be managed daily.
Within a year of his diagnosis with diabetes, Michael suffered his first hypoglycemic seizure. The brain needs sugar to function so if the blood sugar falls too low the brain’s innate function to maintain life will begin shutting down other organs, which quickly leads to a Grand Mal seizure. Unlike an epileptic who will recover after a seizure, which is caused by a disturbance in the electrical activity of the brain, a diabetic who suffers a seizure due to low blood sugar cannot recover without immediate medical intervention to elevate the blood sugar.
Additional seizures followed and it was discovered that Michael had one of the more distressing problems associated with diabetes “hypoglycemic unawareness”. Typically a person will experience warning symptoms when their blood goes low, such as shaking and sweating caused by the release of stress hormones. However, with hypoglycemic unawareness Michael often does not recognize a low blood sugar nor is he symptomatic until after the seizure occurs. This is especially problematic when he is sleeping. Every night he sets his alarm for 3:00 am to check his blood sugar in an effort to catch any unexpected low that could lead to a seizure. Again, it is imperative that when a seizure is the result of a low blood sugar, someone else must be with him to administer a Glucagon and to call 911; otherwise coma and death would quickly ensue.
Over the last 14 years, Michael has suffered from more seizures than I can even count. It is always a traumatic event for everyone involved and we are grateful that his seizures have all been treated in time. Unfortunately, over the last year Michael has had over a dozen seizures. His girlfriend Vivian and her family have saved Michael’s life on six different occasions, always in the middle of the night, by injecting him with a glucagon and by calling 911. In that same time frame he also experienced seven additional seizures at home. Recently, one particularly alarming seizure occurred at home after his 3:00 am check. Michael's blood sugar dropped suddenly and he had a seizure but no one heard him or was aware of the event. Fortunately, by pure luck, we were awaken from the sound of his pump alarming because it ran out of insulin, had that not occurred, it would have been too late the next morning.
The biggest fear for us is exactly that scenario, that no one is aware that a seizure has occurred, so he is not treated or 911 called in time to save his life. This is where a Diabetic Alert Dog would make a huge difference by alerting and giving Michael the necessary time to take measures against having a seizure and keeping better control of his blood sugar on a daily basis. Better blood sugar control would also increase Michael’s overall wellness and health.
We had discussed the possibility of a Diabetic Alert Dog, known as D.A.D.’s, in the past but the cost was always a barrier. However, we can no longer afford to jeopardize Michael’s health because of the expense. After researching online and talking with a variety of organizations that train these very specialized diabetic alert dogs, we discovered Wildrose Kennels in Oxford, MS.
Wildrose is a well-respected kennel that breeds and trains British Labradors. We have attended two training seminars and Michael has been matched with a wonderful dog, named Rory. In January, Michael and Rory trained together under the supervision of Wildrose’s trainer and Director of the Diabetic Alert Dog program, Sharon Stinson.
We hope that this summary of Michael’s journey living with diabetes and Addison’s provides an understanding of the constant work and struggle involved in controlling these medical conditions. Our entire family appreciates your time and interest in assisting us in reaching the monetary goal to assist with all the expenses of providing Michael with a diabetic alert dog and the necessary ongoing training. We wish you and your loved ones health and happiness.
With Gratitude,
The Skillas Family
Organizer
Maria C. Zapata- Copeland
Organizer
Gainesville, FL