Emily Setterstrom was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was in kindergarten. Now, she’s 16 years old. It’s been difficult for her and her family to deal with her diabetes over the years.
Her mom has to keep an eye on her often to make sure her blood sugar stays normal. However, they recently learned that all this extra stress and fear could easily be reduced with the help of a dog.
Emily’s mom, Jennifer Setterstrom, lost her brother to diabetes when she was younger. So, as soon as Emily was diagnosed, her mom became terrified. She wanted to make sure that her daughter stayed safe at all times.
“She’s a really responsible kid but I do get scared, especially at night,” said Jennifer. “She can definitely go into dangerous low levels of blood sugar.”
Emily and Jennifer recently appeared on Good Morning America to discuss Emily’s diabetes. Little did they know, an amazing surprise was waiting for them at the end of the show.
Jeanette Forrey, the owner of 4E Kennels, made an appearance on the show with an adorable puppy in her arms. But this was no ordinary puppy. 4E Kennels is a special organization that solely breeds service dogs to help people with different diseases and conditions.
The Help of a Dog
This particular puppy will be trained to help Emily with her diabetes. He will be able to detect if her blood sugar becomes too high or too low. If he notices these changes, he will alert her right away. He will be donated to Emily as her service dog once he’s fully trained.
Forrey explained that this puppy will need to go through about a year of training. His training is special because he will be trained specifically for Emily. He will be able to learn about her specific highs and lows in order to help her in the best way possible. Best of all, he will be completely trained before she has to go off on her own for college.
At the sight of this adorable puppy, Emily and Jennifer were in tears. Jennifer had dreamed of a service dog for Emily, but the price had seemed too unrealistic.
Jennifer and Emily both believe that this sweet puppy will improve Emily’s life so much. Plus, she’ll have an amazing companion with her when she eventually has to go off on her own.
“It’s awesome,” said Jennifer. “I get that she wants to go to college and if I’m not there I’m just so worried. At night, going to classes, anything, and now she’ll have this [dog]. I’m speechless.”
Emily is still trying to decide on a name for her beautiful puppy. In the meantime, he will go through a great training process to ensure that he is trained to the best of his abilities. Diabetes will always be tough, but Emily can already tell that life will be so much better with a furry friend by her side.
H/T: goodmorningamerica.com
Featured Image: Screenshot, goodmorningamerica.com
Toledo, United States.
