Vivienne's Diabetic Alert Dog

My name is Erin and my youngest child, Vivienne, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on December 11, 2014 when she was just 10 months old. Vivienne was a happy, healthy baby, and then suddenly she wasn't. Her dad and I spent several scary days in the pediatric intensive care unit after she was diagnosed. Vivienne had developed diabetic ketoacidosis, a potentially life threatening complication of diabetes. This is how children are often diagnosed, though being diagnosed as young as Vivienne is relatively rare. After spending a week in the hospital recovering and learning to control her blood sugar with insulin we were discharged home and Vivienne was placed on a continuous insulin pump that she will wear for the rest of her life. She will always be insulin dependent. Right now Vivienne's blood sugar is difficult to control because she is newly diagnosed and because she is so young. She turned 1 at the end of January, and is the bravest todler I could have imagined. We prick her fingers every day 6-8 times, we change her insulin pump access site every 3 days to be able to give her the medicine she needs to stay alive. Every day we face scary highs and lows with her blood sugar. On a bad day Vivienne might wake up with seizures because her blood sugar gets too low while she is sleeping. A simple cold or flu that children so often face could land her int the hospital with high blood sugar. Since she is so young she can't tell anyone when she feels bad and she is too small to wear a continuous glucose monitor for now. Vieienne's dad and I have done research on diabetic alert dogs and have been strongly encouraged by her endocrinologist to pursue getting her this specialized type of assistance dog. The dog will be specially trained to detect when her blood sugar is too high or too low and alert us before it becomes dangerous for her. Having a diabetic alert dog will not only help us keep Vivienne healthy, but will provide a tremendous peace of mind that has been very difficult to find since her diagnosis. As Vivienne grows having this special companion with her at all times will allow us to take better control over her diabetes and keep her safe from the dangerous complications she could face. These specialized dogs require significant training and care and with that comes significant cost. We appreciate any support towards our goal more than we can possibly say. Nothing means more to us than keeping our children safe and healthy. We want Vivienne to have every opportunity to live a long happy life.