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Diabetes invaded our family when my daughter Abi was 11. Her diagnosis was traumatic - days and days in ICU . . . and I understood NOTHING of the nature of Type 1 Diabetes; I was overwhelmed and totally in shock . . . blood sugar levels, shots, insulin, carbohydrate counts, coma, seizuzre . . .so many new vocabulary words to assimilate into our lives. Time progressed and we thought we were learning to manage things well - but, the unhuman noises and violent jerking that jarred us awake in the wee hours of the morning one night taught us more about this disease. THEN - the whole nightmare was relived as we helplessly watched the whole scenario repeated with my 16 month old granddaughter . . . We vowed to search until we found some way to protect our girls from more seizures. DOGS !!! Diabetic Alert Dogs!! What a concept. At that time, there was not a lot of info to be found on the web. We thought we'd made a good choice - invested time and money, only to be dreadfully disappointed: not all service dog organizations are honest and trustworthy! What a nightmare! We tried again, but, this time, we found someone to help us select and start a diabetic alert dog. Still, how difficult it was to be so far from help as the dog grew and new challenges presented themselves. Yet, he was a great alert dog. Countless people have called or e-mail for advise on obtaining a diabetic alert dog. I have networked with people from almost all organizations to understand the ins and outs of each one. Hopefully, many will learn from our mistakes. My heart's desire is to help others along this path - it can be confusing and dangerous. So much emotion is vested in doing what is best for our children. I hope that this site provides the answers you are searching for! contact me anytime: rachel@diabeticalertdog.com |