Young girl is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes – alert dog helps her cope with it
Brystin Fleetwood is a 12 year old girl from Bloomington. Unfortunately, at the age of seven, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
She spent the first few days after her diagnosis in the hospital, learning about the dangers of diabetes and how to control her blood sugar to keep it from getting too high or too low.
Even worse, she learned that she falls into the 20% of diabetics that can experience extreme drops in their blood sugar without any warning.
At first Brystin was given all sorts of devices, like insulin pumps and glucose monitors, in order to monitor and regulate her blood sugar levels, but even so, her mother felt uncomfortable knowing that she was still “hypoglycemic enaware.”
That’s where Gracie comes in.
Originally a rescue dog, Gracie is now what is called a diabetes dog. She has been specially trained to be able to detect changes and dramatic blood sugar shifts through Brystin’s saliva.
When her blood sugar level drops too low, Brystin becomes extremely susceptible to seizures and passing out.
So when she needs to check her blood sugar levels, Gracie will give her a slight bump on her hand with her nose. And if Brystin ignores her, her lip will begin to quiver, and she will bump her hand again. If Brystin still continues to ignore her, Gracie is trained to go get her mother, Jinni, and alert her instead.
“She won’t give up,” said Brystin, when asked about Gracie’s persistence.
She follows Brystin everywhere she goes, including school, practice, and even stays in her bed with her when she is sleeping.
When Brystin is moving around, Gracie stays attached to her with her leash wrapped around her waist, and never sits more than a few inches away from her when she is moving around.
“She makes me feel almost safe,” said Brystin. “Because I know I won’t get that feeling as often as I used to, and I always have a companion.”
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Young girl is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes – alert dog helps her cope with it
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Young girl is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes – alert dog helps her cope with it
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