Diabetic Alert Service Dog
Donation protected
Hello, and thank you for taking the time to read my story! I am 32 and have been diabetic since I was a child, nearly 2/3 of my life. I have what is referred to as Jeuvenile Onset Diabetes, or Type 1 Diabetes. Basically, my body has stopped producing insulin that it needs to process sugar and create energy.
I am in the process of getting a Diabetic Alert Dog to help me manage my diabetes because I no longer feel the signs or symptoms of blood sugar changes and it has created danger for myself and others.
Two years ago, I passed out at work due to an extreme blood sugar drop. I had done everything the same as every other day; worked the same, eaten the same, taken the same medicine. My doctors have never been able to tell me why, but my sugar levels plummeted and I woke up hours later in the emergency room. It took me days to fully recover and I've never regained my memories of that night, even though I've been told I was awake and talking to people for periods that night.
This was the first time I realized I was no longer feeling my sugar drop. I very easily could have died (and almost did) that night. Low blood sugar can cause confusion and erratic behavior. I was so out of it that night the ER thought I might've also hit my head and gave me a CT Scan. I remember when I was beginning to come out of the daze, I was being asked questions but couldn't gather my mind enough to speak. In a word, it was terrifying.
Since then I have had other surprises when I've checked my blood sugar and found it unexpectedly low. Once, after driving home from routine blood work at the hospital, my doctor called in hysterics because my blood work had shown a blood glucose level of 30. Normal range is 80-120 and I was near 30 the night I had passed out. I could have very easily passed out driving home and injured myself, perhaps even killed other people with my car.
A Diabetic Alert Dog would be an immense help to me because they can smell chemical changes in their handler's body and alert them to a changing blood sugar up to 30minutes before it would even show on a glucometer! A dog's nose can beat modern technology! With that kind of help, I wouldn't have to worry and check my blood sugar at every rest stop when traveling. A DAD can provide an early alarm so that a diabetic can treat a high or low blood sugar before it even moves out of the target range! That means a safer and longer life, with less danger of side effects such as organ damage and infections that can cause complications from blindness to loss of limbs.
I have already been able to fundraise about 20% of the $10,000 cost of the dog, but I can't reach that goal without the continued support of both friends and strangers.
This dog would represent both health and hope to me. Please help me reach my goal however you are able. I am grateful for any and all help!
I am in the process of getting a Diabetic Alert Dog to help me manage my diabetes because I no longer feel the signs or symptoms of blood sugar changes and it has created danger for myself and others.
Two years ago, I passed out at work due to an extreme blood sugar drop. I had done everything the same as every other day; worked the same, eaten the same, taken the same medicine. My doctors have never been able to tell me why, but my sugar levels plummeted and I woke up hours later in the emergency room. It took me days to fully recover and I've never regained my memories of that night, even though I've been told I was awake and talking to people for periods that night.
This was the first time I realized I was no longer feeling my sugar drop. I very easily could have died (and almost did) that night. Low blood sugar can cause confusion and erratic behavior. I was so out of it that night the ER thought I might've also hit my head and gave me a CT Scan. I remember when I was beginning to come out of the daze, I was being asked questions but couldn't gather my mind enough to speak. In a word, it was terrifying.
Since then I have had other surprises when I've checked my blood sugar and found it unexpectedly low. Once, after driving home from routine blood work at the hospital, my doctor called in hysterics because my blood work had shown a blood glucose level of 30. Normal range is 80-120 and I was near 30 the night I had passed out. I could have very easily passed out driving home and injured myself, perhaps even killed other people with my car.
A Diabetic Alert Dog would be an immense help to me because they can smell chemical changes in their handler's body and alert them to a changing blood sugar up to 30minutes before it would even show on a glucometer! A dog's nose can beat modern technology! With that kind of help, I wouldn't have to worry and check my blood sugar at every rest stop when traveling. A DAD can provide an early alarm so that a diabetic can treat a high or low blood sugar before it even moves out of the target range! That means a safer and longer life, with less danger of side effects such as organ damage and infections that can cause complications from blindness to loss of limbs.
I have already been able to fundraise about 20% of the $10,000 cost of the dog, but I can't reach that goal without the continued support of both friends and strangers.
This dog would represent both health and hope to me. Please help me reach my goal however you are able. I am grateful for any and all help!
Organizer
Michaela Basham
Organizer
Wheeling, WV