Diabetic Alert Dog for Nicholas
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We are trying to raise funds for Nicholas to buy an diabetic alert dog from Lily Grace at NIDAD. Nicholas has down syndrome and was diagnosed at 18 months with type 1 diabetes. Since Nicholas was diagnosed I check his blood sugar every two hours even throughout the night.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks and destroys the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. Nicholas pancreas stopped working around November 29, 2007 and it does not produce insulin and it will never produce insulin again. Without a cure Nicholas will have to learn to act on his pancreas' behalf.
This disease cannot be reversed or fixed, as of now there is no cure. Type 1 does not get better with age, he cannot outgrow it, it is never really truly under control, it is not preventable or reversible, it is a lifelong autoimmune disease. Type 1 diabetes is not caused by poor eating habits, too much sugar or lack of exercise. In fact, it is a VERY complex disease that requires the person to actually act as a functioning organ. It's not natural.
There are many side effects to this disease, short and long term. The scariest of these is the constant threat of death. If Nicholas's blood sugar plummets without him knowing or being able to alert someone he can seizure or worse, die. There are long and short term effects of having high blood sugar as well. If blood sugars are high, diabetics can get something called Ketones. Ketones in the urine is a sign that your body is using fat for energy instead of using glucose because not enough insulin is available to use glucose for energy. If a type 1 diabetic has ketones in their system for too long they can get ketoacidosis. Ketoacidosis is one of the biggest killers of Type 1 Diabetics. The other is being unaware that your blood sugar is low in your sleep and not waking up.
High blood sugar has other side effects that can cause long term damage, some of these are: eyesight loss or blindness, nerve damage, circulatory problems, heart attack, stroke, amputation, and death.
Because Nicholas is only 7 he is what is called hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic unaware. This means he cannot always tell when his blood sugar is going dangerously high or low. This can lead to dangerous and even fatal outcomes. Any blood sugar under 70 is very dangerous for Nicholas. At night his mom checks his blood throughout the night (midnight, 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., she has been doing this every night since his diagnosis) but if he were to go to low in his sleep between a check he could have a seizure go into a coma and die. 1 in 20 people with Type 1 Diabetes die in their sleep from low blood sugars.
A Diabetic Alert Dog would be trained to alert us when his blood sugars are rising and falling and even wake his mom up at night if he is in danger. Nicholas's Diabetic Alert Dog will be able to sense when his blood sugars are going too high and too low anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes before any symptoms or his glucometer can even register the change!
A Diabetic Alert Dog for Nicholas would mean sense of peace for his Mother and will give Nicholas the independence and ability to be able to play sports, go to friends houses, play in his own backyard without his mom sitting right there and it will help Nicholas not to lose his childhood to this horrible disease.
A Diabetic Alert Dog would mean an extra line of defense against this disease that looms over us every minute of every day threatening to take this child from his mother middle or the night, in the midst of play or at any moment where he is away from his Mother "“ A Diabetic Alert Dog will not only give Nicholas the independence he so deserves, it can save his LIFE! Please help Nicholas get his life
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks and destroys the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. Nicholas pancreas stopped working around November 29, 2007 and it does not produce insulin and it will never produce insulin again. Without a cure Nicholas will have to learn to act on his pancreas' behalf.
This disease cannot be reversed or fixed, as of now there is no cure. Type 1 does not get better with age, he cannot outgrow it, it is never really truly under control, it is not preventable or reversible, it is a lifelong autoimmune disease. Type 1 diabetes is not caused by poor eating habits, too much sugar or lack of exercise. In fact, it is a VERY complex disease that requires the person to actually act as a functioning organ. It's not natural.
There are many side effects to this disease, short and long term. The scariest of these is the constant threat of death. If Nicholas's blood sugar plummets without him knowing or being able to alert someone he can seizure or worse, die. There are long and short term effects of having high blood sugar as well. If blood sugars are high, diabetics can get something called Ketones. Ketones in the urine is a sign that your body is using fat for energy instead of using glucose because not enough insulin is available to use glucose for energy. If a type 1 diabetic has ketones in their system for too long they can get ketoacidosis. Ketoacidosis is one of the biggest killers of Type 1 Diabetics. The other is being unaware that your blood sugar is low in your sleep and not waking up.
High blood sugar has other side effects that can cause long term damage, some of these are: eyesight loss or blindness, nerve damage, circulatory problems, heart attack, stroke, amputation, and death.
Because Nicholas is only 7 he is what is called hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic unaware. This means he cannot always tell when his blood sugar is going dangerously high or low. This can lead to dangerous and even fatal outcomes. Any blood sugar under 70 is very dangerous for Nicholas. At night his mom checks his blood throughout the night (midnight, 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., she has been doing this every night since his diagnosis) but if he were to go to low in his sleep between a check he could have a seizure go into a coma and die. 1 in 20 people with Type 1 Diabetes die in their sleep from low blood sugars.
A Diabetic Alert Dog would be trained to alert us when his blood sugars are rising and falling and even wake his mom up at night if he is in danger. Nicholas's Diabetic Alert Dog will be able to sense when his blood sugars are going too high and too low anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes before any symptoms or his glucometer can even register the change!
A Diabetic Alert Dog for Nicholas would mean sense of peace for his Mother and will give Nicholas the independence and ability to be able to play sports, go to friends houses, play in his own backyard without his mom sitting right there and it will help Nicholas not to lose his childhood to this horrible disease.
A Diabetic Alert Dog would mean an extra line of defense against this disease that looms over us every minute of every day threatening to take this child from his mother middle or the night, in the midst of play or at any moment where he is away from his Mother "“ A Diabetic Alert Dog will not only give Nicholas the independence he so deserves, it can save his LIFE! Please help Nicholas get his life
Organizer
Krista Marie
Organizer
Citrus Heights, CA