Rost Middle student hopes for a diabetes dog to alert him on dangerous glucose levels

Many of us know how guide dogs assist the visually impaired, but do you know how a diabetic alert dog works?
Drake Garner, 11, has high hopes to become familiar with this service dog. He was diagnosed with Type I diabetes since he was eight years old. He is the son of Tori and Joshua Garner.
Diabetic alert dogs are trained to alert diabetic owners in advance of low (hypoglycemia) or high (hyperglycemia) blood sugar events before they become dangerous, so their owners can take steps to return their blood sugar to normal.
The dogs can do this because our bodies have a unique makeup of organic chemicals - all of which have very specific smells. Low blood sugar levels, or hypoglycemia, cause a release of chemicals in the body that have a distinct odor undetectable by humans. These dogs are trained to pick up on this odor.
“Drake is a very active boy,” said his mother. “And even though his school nurses are so helpful with him, his father and I cannot be with him 100 percent of the time. Little things other parents take for granted such as sleep overs, field trips and sports, we have to constantly worry about his levels being either too low or too high and have him go into a coma. Having this dog would help him and help alleviate so much worrying for us by allowing him to have a normal life.”
The cost of a dog runs up to $25,000 and is not covered by insurance.
Even though the Garners are raising four children, they are saving all they can to make this possible for their son.
Service Dogs by Warren Retreivers (SDWR), a nonprofit organization from Virginia who provides service dogs, is currently assisting the Garners in finding ways to make the purchase possible.
One suggestion SDWR gave the family is to find 25 people who are willing to commit to make a weekly $25 donation for 10 months. This will cover the entire cost of the dog.
While Drake did not have the typical symptoms of diabetes such as excessive thirst and increased urination, his parents knew something was wrong with their son.
“His temperment changed drastically, said his mom. “He was always a happy go lucky kid who was always smiling. He became an irritable, angry, and unhappy child. So, Josh and I knew we needed to bring him to a doctor.”
Through blood work testing, it became known he had Type I diabetes with a very high glucose level.
He was immediately sent to Women and Children’s Hopsital in Lafayette where they were able to lower his blood levels to normal.
“It was during this time of treatment, we were also taught about managing this disease,” said Tori. “Diabetes management requires awareness. We needed to know what makes blood sugar levels rise and fall — and how to control these day-to-day factors.”
The first step in his treatment was insulin shots, then he was fitted with an insulin pump. This pump delivers rapid- or short-acting insulin 24 hours a day through a catheter placed under the skin. The amount of insulin delivered is determined by inputting the amount of carbohydrates he ate, along with his current sugar levels. The pump automatically calculates the correct amount of insulin needed to keep his levels at a normal rate.
While he was hospitalized with the initial diagnosis, he found out about Camp Victory, a camp held each summer in Anacoco, La. for children with diabetes.
“This camp is a blessing to all kids with diabetes,” said Garner. “It helped Drake learn so much about how to take care of his health.”
The camp provides the youth of Louisiana a safe and rewarding camping experience and a major focus of the American Diabetes Association since its beginning. Each summer over 75 physicians, nurses, dietitians, pharmacists and social workers volunteer their time to see that the medical needs of the children are met.
“Drake’s condition is definitely a life changer,” said his dad. “It was so overwhelming for Tori when I was offshore. I now have a job where I am home everynight to help with Drake and our other three kids.”
“It is very humbling to know that other people want to help us out to get this dog. We feel blessed to know there are people who care enough to give someone a helping hand,” said Tori.