Maggie’s Open Golf Tournament is a golf tournament aimed at raising money to provide a diabetic alert dog to a child in need.
Normal symptoms of low blood sugar include sweating, shaking, or confusion. At very low levels, you may experience seizures, or go into a coma if your blood sugar is too low for too long.
One of the solutions for this condition is man’s best friend: a diabetes service dog. At Maggie’s Hope, it is our goal to provide a service dog to a child with Type 1 Diabetes. Dogs have a naturally heightened sense of smell that makes them excellent hunters. Professional trainers have learned to harness these skills by training dogs to recognize certain smells. These could include the fruity smelling ketones a person’s body produces when they are experiencing a hyperglycemic episode when blood sugar is too high, or the unique scent a person gives off during a hypoglycemic episode when blood sugar is too low. A diabetes service dog isn’t a replacement for checking blood sugar levels. However, it is a safeguard for those who experience episodes low or high blood sugar, especially if they do not have warning symptoms. This is especially helpful for children who may not understand when it is time to check their blood sugar levels. A service dog will not only help them remind them to check, but will also be a great companion and a potential life saver.
We at Maggie’s Hope have seen with our own eyes what these service dogs can do, and it is truly amazing. Help us achieve our goal of providing service dogs to children with Type 1 Diabetes and bringing awareness to this disease.
