Last night at 12:15am, Myles woke me up with his paw on my face. I grabbed the monitor and my son's blood sugar was 256. The Dexcom hadn't alarmed yet, wouldn't for another twenty minutes, but Myles knew.
My son is six and Type 1 diabetic. Two years ago he was in the ICU and our world became blood sugar checks and middle-of-the-night terror. The monitor helps but there's a delay. That's where Myles comes in. He's a diabetic alert dog who detects changes before the machines can. Cost more than our car, money we borrowed and fundraised for months.
He beats the Dexcom by 15 to 30 minutes every time. That's the difference between catching it early and my son seizing in his bed. In two years with Myles, zero ER visits.
His vest was falling apart last month and I panicked because he can't work without it. Found a maker on a shop at midnight who does custom service dog gear, she rushed me two vests and understood exactly why I needed them fast. Also got him proper medical alert tags from another crafter there who makes reflective gear for working animals.
I used to set alarms every two hours to check my son manually. Was so exhausted I could barely function. Now Myles handles nights and has never missed once. People ask why we need a dog when there's technology. They don't see 12:15am when Myles is the only one awake, standing guard over my sleeping child. This dog gave me back sleep and gave my son the chance to just be a kid.
By Akira slater
My son is six and Type 1 diabetic. Two years ago he was in the ICU and our world became blood sugar checks and middle-of-the-night terror. The monitor helps but there's a delay. That's where Myles comes in. He's a diabetic alert dog who detects changes before the machines can. Cost more than our car, money we borrowed and fundraised for months.
He beats the Dexcom by 15 to 30 minutes every time. That's the difference between catching it early and my son seizing in his bed. In two years with Myles, zero ER visits.
His vest was falling apart last month and I panicked because he can't work without it. Found a maker on a shop at midnight who does custom service dog gear, she rushed me two vests and understood exactly why I needed them fast. Also got him proper medical alert tags from another crafter there who makes reflective gear for working animals.
I used to set alarms every two hours to check my son manually. Was so exhausted I could barely function. Now Myles handles nights and has never missed once. People ask why we need a dog when there's technology. They don't see 12:15am when Myles is the only one awake, standing guard over my sleeping child. This dog gave me back sleep and gave my son the chance to just be a kid.
By Akira slater
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