Diabetic Alert Dog

Well, I've decided to go ahead and start trying to raise funds to get a Diabetic Alert Dog. For those of you who do not know, I have had Type I Diabetes. I have gotten better control over my blood sugars in the past few years, but with tighter control, comes an increase in the risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugars), especially in the middle of the night. Because I have had it for so long, I do not feel the symptoms of those low blood sugars until they are very low. It can be scary for me, my husband, my parents and anyone who has come to love me or my son. If I were to have a low sugar in the middle of the night and not wake up, I could have a seizure and I could die. There is no one next to me in bed who would know I was having a seizure or who could call 911. Ryder would be left without a mother for who knows how long until someone came to get him, crying, from his crib.
That is a very scary thing for me to think about. Not because of what would happen to me, but because of my baby boy.

Enter the Diabetic Alert Dog (D.A.D.). These are full service dogs that are able to smell the chemical changes in the handler's blood sugar and alert them when they go above or below the target range that they have been raised on. They can also be trained to bring glucose meters, glucose tablets or gel, open a refrigerator and grab a juice box and bring it to the handler if they are unable to do so. They can also be trained to use communicative devices to call for emergency services if there is not someone else in the house to alert to a low blood sugar. You can imagine the relief that could bring to my family and those around us.
Now, the dogs are usually ready by about 9 months (a wait period of about 7 months after a deposit is made) but that is dependent on fund raising. I do not have a lot of my own money (any of my own money), so the fund raising portion will take a little while for me to complete. Though we would like to have the added reassurance of having a DAD around while Pat is deployed, this is not the right time for us to have a dog. Our housing does not allow animals and I do not have time with school to take care of a puppy (regardless of how trained they are when they get to me). Money is also a concern. These puppies have an important job to do and they need to be taken care of, which I am not capable of at this moment, which is why we are starting the fundraising now so that when we get back to BAMA, we will be able to get settled (jobs, house, Ryder in day care, etc) and then have money to pay for the dog and give it the time it needs and deserves.

I know I have asked a lot of you already for prayers for my group Love From Home, which strives to send letters, cards or care packages to our military overseas, but I would like to ask one more favor of you. Please pray for me as I start this journey and that God would open doors for funding and for the puppy that we will, one day, be adopting as part of our family (and part of my health care team). If you have prayed and you feel God moving you to donate or to help with fund raising of some sort, there is a website you can go to. Any amount helps and I am beyond appreciative for any donation or prayer. A Diabetic Alert Dog For Kelley is where you can find more information about donating or send people to.