Olivia's Diabetic Alert Puppy

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation                      Pieces of the Universe 



My sweet 10 year old Goddaughter, Olivia, was recently diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (www.jdrf.org), an incurable autoimmune disorder not impacted or caused by lifestyle choices.  As you'll read in her story below, prior to diagnosis, life was pretty easy.  She's an avid dancer, athlete, she loves playing with her friends, you know, typical kid stuff.  These days she does all that, with the addition of multiple injections per day, watching every bite she eats, and always monitoring her blood glucose levels to ensure she doesn't get too low or too high, with potentially dangerous consequences.  That's why we'd like you to help get her a diabetic alert dog. 

A diabetic alert dog is not like a dog you'd get at a  pet store.  This is a special dog, trained at a place called Pieces of the Universe (www.piecesoftheuniverse.com) to be both a friend and an effective warning tool when her blood sugar levels are getting too high or low. Incredibly, these dogs catch changes and problems in blood sugar levels more quickly and more effectively than testing!  
 
Her parents want her to have one because they think it will make her safer and improve her confidence.  

This is Olivia's story, in her own words:
"Dear Pieces of the Universe, my name is Olivia and I was diagnosed with type one diabetes on January 16th, 2017. My mom has done a lot of research on getting me a diabetes alert dog. When I went to my first meeting with my diabetes educator she told us about a boy she knows who has a diabetes alert dog and of course I wanted one.

 My life is pretty simple except for having type one. This is how my day normally goes. I wake up in the morning and my dad checks me. Next he asks me what I want for breakfast. I normally have the same thing every day. Then after I eat and have my shot I get dressed and brush my hair and teeth. My mom or dad (normally mom) drives me to school. I do a morning check and a lunch check. After I eat my lunch I go to the office to get my shot. I then also have an afternoon check. When I get home after school I normally have basketball practice or dance class except for Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. After all that I read for a while then at last go to sleep.

In my opinion my personality is talented, performer, and animal fanatic. I am going to list some things that I like to do.

· I like to draw and color.

· I like to train dogs.

· I like to sing.

· I like to listen to a lot of music.

· I like to hangout with my friends.

· I like to dance.

· I like to play basketball.

· I like to read.

· I like to write.

· I like to learn about interesting things.

· I like to play video games.

· I like to watch youtube.

· I like to see animals at the zoo.

· I like to cook.

· I like to help people.

 I think my family is very nice and is helping me a lot with this diabetes thing. They make me happy and much more. Thank you for reading this essay and it will help you get to know me better even if it’s not in person.

The End"