Diabetic Alert Dog Fund
Donation protected
Ever since I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was 5 years old, the constant threat of the complications and possible tragedies of being diabetic has never been far from my mind. Diabetes can wreak havoc in just about every organ system of the body--blindness, nerve damage, kidney damage and heart disease are all possible complications of even fairly well controlled diabetes. Day to day, high blood sugar can make it hard to concentrate and affect my mood, and low blood sugar can cause me to lose energy, have seizures, or pass out. Unnoticed and untreated, low blood sugars can lead to death.
As a grad student, my schedule is hectic and the added time and energy I spend worrying about my blood sugar levels is hard to maintain. Diabetes never takes a break--it doesn't matter how many other things I have to do that day or how much sleep I got the night before, it is a full time job that requires attention all the time. I have to think about the food I eat, what time of day it is, when I last took my insulin, how much insulin to take, and how I feel. Diabetes means running through the list of things that can go wrong all the time--am I tired because my blood sugar is high or because I haven't slept enough? Am I 'diabetes sick' or 'real-people sick'? Can I eat now, or should I wait?
Recently, the frequency and severity of my low blood sugars have been getting worse, and because I've been dealing with them for so long, I often can't tell that my blood sugar is low until it becomes dangerous. Too often over the past few months, I've woken up in my bed, unsure of where I am, who I am, and what is real from a low blood sugar that dropped overnight. Although I have roommates, the schedule I keep is such that usually when these events happen, there is no one around who would quickly notice if I passed out and needed assistance. The emotional and physical strain from this makes it difficult to do my already demanding job.
After talking with my doctor and my family and friends, I've decided that the best course of action at this point in my life is to get a diabetes alert dog. (See pictures and more information here.) These dogs are highly trained, and can sense shifts in blood sugar more quickly and more accurately than any available technology. They are on alert 24/7, and can sense lows that happen even in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, the cost of one of these dogs is between $15,000 and $20,000, due to the extensive training they recieve. As a graduate student, this is not an amount I can feasibly come up with by myself. I would like to place the initial deposit of $2,500 as soon as possible, to begin the process of being matched with a dog.
Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated and would help me continue to work towards my goal of a PhD while still managing my diabetes. Please let me know if you have any questions or want more information.
Thank you so much!
--Grace
As a grad student, my schedule is hectic and the added time and energy I spend worrying about my blood sugar levels is hard to maintain. Diabetes never takes a break--it doesn't matter how many other things I have to do that day or how much sleep I got the night before, it is a full time job that requires attention all the time. I have to think about the food I eat, what time of day it is, when I last took my insulin, how much insulin to take, and how I feel. Diabetes means running through the list of things that can go wrong all the time--am I tired because my blood sugar is high or because I haven't slept enough? Am I 'diabetes sick' or 'real-people sick'? Can I eat now, or should I wait?
Recently, the frequency and severity of my low blood sugars have been getting worse, and because I've been dealing with them for so long, I often can't tell that my blood sugar is low until it becomes dangerous. Too often over the past few months, I've woken up in my bed, unsure of where I am, who I am, and what is real from a low blood sugar that dropped overnight. Although I have roommates, the schedule I keep is such that usually when these events happen, there is no one around who would quickly notice if I passed out and needed assistance. The emotional and physical strain from this makes it difficult to do my already demanding job.
After talking with my doctor and my family and friends, I've decided that the best course of action at this point in my life is to get a diabetes alert dog. (See pictures and more information here.) These dogs are highly trained, and can sense shifts in blood sugar more quickly and more accurately than any available technology. They are on alert 24/7, and can sense lows that happen even in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, the cost of one of these dogs is between $15,000 and $20,000, due to the extensive training they recieve. As a graduate student, this is not an amount I can feasibly come up with by myself. I would like to place the initial deposit of $2,500 as soon as possible, to begin the process of being matched with a dog.
Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated and would help me continue to work towards my goal of a PhD while still managing my diabetes. Please let me know if you have any questions or want more information.
Thank you so much!
--Grace
Organizer
Grace Purnell
Organizer
Bozeman, MT