A Jacksonville family has enrolled in an unconventional program to protect their 11-year-old son after he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It is called the “Diabetic Alert Dog.”
The Kees said they found a service dog trainer in Mississippi one year after Jack was diagnosed.
They drove there to pick up Izzy and start the bonding process.
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Jack’s Mother, Kim, said she could immediately see an impact.
“There’s a sense of relief,” Kim said. “He’s still a dog, he’s still an animal but he takes his job very seriously, whether he’s out at a restaurant, or at school, or at church, or he’s here at home.”
Izzy is trained to sense a change in Jack’s blood sugar level.
He can smell if Jack’s blood sugar is too high or too low, then alerts Jack or his parents.
“My body gives off two certain smells for my blood sugar,” Jack said. “If my sugar is high it’s sweet and whenever it’s low it’s sour. So he’s been trained to smell those smells and when he does he’ll either tell me if he’s with me or my mom.”
The Kees have now had Izzy for three years and said he has grown to be more than a service dog.
“Me and him play together, we sleep together, we go everywhere together,” Jack said. “We’re inseparable and I treat him like a brother and he treats me like a brother back.”
Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease that requires constant attention.
It is a chronic illness where the pancreas has stopped producing insulin.
Therefore, the individual must monitor the blood sugar him/herself and adjust their levels with prescribed insulin.
Treatment varies with each individual.
Also, it is completely separate from Type 2 Diabetes, which is a metabolic illness.
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is a nonprofit that raises money for research to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes.
The national organization also advocates for affected families and gives them resources to live a healthy life.
The Kees are involved with the JDRF North Florida chapter and described them as a second family.
“We fund research. We provide outreach support through our Bag of Hope for children and also our adult type one tool kit as well as a variety of other resources,” Executive Director Brooks Biagini said.
JDRF does not advocate for a specific method of treatment. However, it has resources to give to a family interested in alternative methods. The chapter can be found HERE.