Diabetic Alert Dog for Gracie: Grace for the Cure

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Diabetic Alert Dog for Gracie: Grace for the Cure

In March 2018, our 4 year old daughter, Gracie Sevilla (now 5), was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, an incurable, intense, auto-immune disease that inflicts mostly children in their grade school years; a disease whose cause is unknown and is not due to diet or family history, but rather genetics and environmental triggers which cause the Pancreas to no longer produce life saving Insulin (a hormone in the body) necessary for blood glucose production and functioning - both high and low levels of blood glucose cause diabetic ketoacidosis which leads to diabetic coma, swelling in the brain and then, death.

Our campaign goal for her is a Diabetic Alert Dog, a specially trained service animal that has the ability to quickly detect changes in her blood that could be life threatening. The dog then alerts the person with Diabetes and those around her, allowing time for treatment of both highs and lows.

We don't currently have a dog and it makes perfect sense for our family pet to be specially trained to alert us of Gracie's life-threatening highs and lows. You can read about Gracie, Type 1 Diabetes, and how it has impacted our family in a recent article on her by Insulin Nation .

DIABETIC ALERT DOG: Although the continuous glucose monitoring device (Dexcom G6) is essential to us (can't imagine not having it after having had it), man-made technology fails and there is something much more reliable and would be such an amazing blessing to the entire family, especially little Gracie, who loves animals.

A well-trained Diabetic Alert Dog.

Properly trained, certified Diabetic Alert Dogs can alert of a life-threatening, impending high or low blood glucose level as much as 15 minutes sooner than a medical device and even a finger prick. God has designed these dogs with such an amazing keen seen of smell; instinct and loyalty for it's owners that the dog will wake up or otherwise alert a sleeping parent or child to let them know that the blood glucose levels are rising dangerously fast or dropping dangerously low; such a loveable and reliable medical alert system to help strengthen what we already have and provide for just a little bit of peace of mind in the midst of what is a constant stressor and source of great anxiety.

Diabetic Alert Dogs from reputable, certified, licensed trainers cost in the tens of thousands of dollars and most insurance companies do not cover the costs of diabetic alert dogs or service dogs in general, because their effectiveness has not yet been proven in scientific studies. Therefore, for the reasons stated above and for this reason, we invite you to join little Gracie in our "Grace for the Cure" fundraiser for a Diabetic Alert Dog for Gracie, and to raise T1D (Type 1 Diabetes) awareness.

We believe that God can instantly heal Gracie and all who suffer and pray earnestly that He will. However, we know that in this life we shall suffer and take the good with the bad, praising Him unceasingly and remaining steadfast in our faith in Him. In the meantime, and in the midst of this fiery trial, He has been ever faithful and has blessed us in so many ways. It is our prayer that all who suffer and deal daily with this terrible disease will receive healing soon and that God will bless us all with a cure, and continue to fill us with His grace and mercy. Until there is a cure for Type 1 Diabetes, there is Gracie, and if God wills, she shall have her furry companion soon enough while raising awareness.

Grace for the Cure!

Our Amazing Grace!