One of the great things about the internet is how much smaller it can make the world. There is an online community for practically everything. Google can introduce you to others with the same interests, quirks, and beliefs in just a few short key strokes. In the eighteen years I've had diabetes, I have only met a handful of people with the disease, and most of them were in the waiting room at the doctor's office. Mostly I just meet people who feel the need to tell me about their great Aunt Agnes who had diabetes "really bad" and lost her eye sight... or her big toe, or some such craziness that I don't really relate to at all. Anyways, social media has opened a whole new world for me. There are people out there, just like me, who understand the day to day issues of dealing with a disease that is constantly changing. They understand what I mean when I say I hit a hard low this morning and wanted to shove everything in site in my face including, but not limited to juice, candy, tortillas, cookies, cheese, chocolate frosting, peanut butter, milk... and chocolate, and strawberries... and the kid's lunch snacks... and cheese. Did I mention the cheese? It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who argues with her continuous glucose monitor, or has wanted to throw her pump across the room because there is something wrong with the insertion site AGAIN. They get it when I say I found a hundred dead test strips at the bottom of my purse, and in the couch cushions, and under the kitchen table, and on the floor of the van. Oh, and the one in the baby's diaper. How did THAT get there?
Never mind. I don't want to know. I digress.
I must confess, I am not a very active participant when it comes to social media. I love to read though. I will read blogs, articles, blurbs, and don't even get me started on the comment section! I spend more time reading the comments than anything else. I would much rather read a story than watch a video. I'm sure some of my friends have noticed that I am usually the only one NOT to participate in a Facebook conversation, but it's a sure bet that I've seen what everybody else had to say. Don't be offended, I don't say much in real life conversations either. So this is where this new adventure started. I kept seeing posts on my timeline from various diabetes sights about dogs. Of course, they were videos, and who wants to watch a video when you can read about it? I know... It's sounded weird even when I read that sentence, but watching a video means I have to have my volume on, and nobody else can be around to know that I'm watching a video on my phone. It would draw attention to me. Reading is a much safer way to go, but in a rare moment, I watched one. It was a about a young boy who got a diabetic alert dog and how much it helped him live a healthier lifestyle. I thought it was cool, but really didn't give it much thought. A few months later, a guy came into the doctor's office with his very own service dog. Take it from me. Spending twenty minutes in a tiny waiting room with an adorable Labrador who can tell you when your sugar is off was more than enough to make me realize I had to have one for myself! I half jokingly, half seriously texted my husband about it. A few minutes later he was sending me links about it, and telling me it sounded like a great idea. He's very supportive. He's awesome.
That was just a mere four weeks ago.
Usually this whole process takes months and months from beginning to end. It starts with contacting several companies that train diabetic alert dogs, and choosing one, most likely in a different state. Then you get paired with a dog, send a down payment and meet your new furry friend over Skype. Then you spend the next six months raising money and getting ready for them while they are getting trained. When the dog is ready, the trainer brings them to you, and spends several days teaching you how to work with the dog.
So far, that is not how it has gone for me.
My intention was to look into this, not actually start the process. I only filled out one online application. Really, I just wanted to talk to someone to get some of my questions answered. Before I could begin to contact anybody else, Christy called from Diabetic Alert Dogs of America, and she called from a local number. Well, that was lucky. I only live ten minutes away from the one company I decided to get in touch with. Forget phone calls and Skype, I get to meet them face to face. Christy was great with all my questions over the phone and patiently explained much of the process. I knew going into our meeting the following week, that I wanted to get a diabetic alert dog....eventually. I immediately felt comfortable with Christy and Ed. Again, they patiently answered all my silly questions, and they even took me out on a little field trip to Wal-Mart with two of their dogs in training to let me see what they do in action. It was really cool! You can check out some of their training videos online at www.diabeticalertdogofamerica.com. When we got back, we talked more about what my specific needs would be. My biggest issue is allergies. My family has sensitive allergies, and a Lab would really make our lives tough because of that. We talked about labradoodles, but it still seemed like they might not be quite right, because they still shed fir and are not completely allergy free. So the best option seemed to be a poodle. Poodles have hair, not fir, and do not shed at all. They are totally hypoallergenic, so everybody in my family would be OK. Well, Labs are the most common breed, and poodles are a little harder to come by. So that's when Ed tells me that they just happen to have gotten a poodle a few days earlier, AND she wasn't paired with someone yet. "So, if you want to do this, she's all yours! We can have her ready to go home with you by the end of the year."
Wait... what? What happened to just looking into it?
This could not have lined up any better. So I am stepping out in faith and trusting that God put this in place. Maybe some more advanced notice would have been nice, but I'm not complaining. When it's meant to happen, it's meant to happen.
So, yes! I want to do this. When do I meet her? That comes next...
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