Diabetic girl getting her blood sugar alert dog

An alert dog, such as this specially trained yellow Lab, is taught to sense changes in his owner’s blood sugar levels, so he can warn the diabetic if the levels are too high or low.

As a Type I diabetic, Eden Yurek does a pretty good job managing her blood sugar levels, but she’d like to have some help from a four-legged friend. The 11-year-old fifth-grader from Deerfield Community School and her family are trying to raise enough money to provide her with a diabetic alert dog trained to sense when a person’s blood sugar is too low or too high.

DEERFIELD — As a Type I diabetic, Eden Yurek does a pretty good job managing her blood sugar levels, but she’d like to have some help from a four-legged friend.

The family of the 11-year-old fifth-grader from Deerfield Community School is trying to raise enough money to provide her with a diabetic alert dog trained to sense when a person’s blood sugar is too low or too high.

It’ll help to warn us when she’s dropping quickly. A lot of times the dog picks up on it even before the meter does, said Eden’s mother, Melissa Yurek.

Yurek began researching the possibility of getting a diabetic alert dog for her daughter several years ago, but the cost of training was just too much, she said, ranging between $10,000 and $20,000.

She didn’t want to give up on the idea, and neither did the Yureks’ friends and school nurse Lisa Shepard, who encouraged the family to continue the hunt and to pursue fundraising efforts.

About $1,500 some through an eighth-grade dance has been raised so far to benefit a campaign called Eden’s Hope. Another fundraiser will be held at the Deerfield Veterinary Clinic on Saturday, and a benefit trail ride for riders from several horse and pony clubs is planned for the fall.

Yurek continued her research and found Canine Assistance Rehabilitation Education and Services (CARES), an organization in Kansas that charges recipients $2,500 for a diabetic alert dog.

The dogs are more affordable, she said, because they’re trained by inmates from the Ellsworth Correctional Facility in Kansas as part of a rewards program.

The Yureks applied for a dog through CARES last year and were accepted.

Eden and her parents will head to Kansas on June 14 for a week of day and evening classes and return to Deerfield with their new diabetic-alert dog, who will accompany Eden wherever she goes, including school.

Melissa Yurek said she hopes to raise enough money to cover the cost of the dog and an additional $2,500 or so in travel and lodging expenses. While they may not have all of the money raised for the dog before they go, Yurek said, the organization will give them an extra six months to pay off the bill.

Eden, who must use an insulin pump, has battled diabetes since she was 2-1/2. She and her parents have learned to manage the diabetes along with Eden’s celiac disease, a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food that are important for staying healthy.

As she’s grown older, Eden has gained more independence and is able to check her own blood sugar during the school day.

But her parents still worry, especially at night. That’s when the diabetic alert dog would be of greatest assistance.

Night is difficult. There’s not a whole lot of warning to when her blood sugars drop. We’ve had nights where she’s dropped rather quickly, and it’s been kind of scary because we need to get sugar into her quickly, Yurek said.

Exercising also can be problematic for Eden, who keeps fruit juice and sugar tablets with her.

While Eden isn’t sure what breed of dog she’ll get, she’s hoping for a golden retriever, in part because the Yureks already have a Lab named Brandy.

Eden’s friends at school also are looking forward to her new dog. In fact, she said, one of her friends joked about how she wants diabetes so she could bring a dog to school, too.

Shepard, the school’s nurse, also is excited about the educational opportunities the diabetic alert dog will offer at the school, where Eden is one of three students with Type I diabetes.

I think it’s great. Not only does she learn how to take care of animals, but the animals learn how to take care of her. It’s a two-way street, said Shepard, who has been helping Eden since preschool.

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