Ian was like every little boy his age. He could not wait to start riding the school bus with all of the “big” kids. Unfortunately, his type 1 diabetes would keep him from being able to do so. The Michigan boy was told that it would not be safe. He would need a monitor to keep him from experiencing any major difficulties once his blood sugar started to dwindle.
Instead of making the boy ride an empty bus, his parents decided that he would benefit immensely from the usage of a service dog. Alert dogs have the ability to notice any sort of downturn in a diabetic’s blood sugar levels. From there, they are responsible for procuring the help that the person needs. Some of these dogs are even able to fetch glucose meters or food.
I found this on a yard sale site, thought it needed to be shared a bit further…Edit: I added a link to another post…
Posted by Teresa Funk on Thursday, October 11, 2018
This was just what the doctor ordered for young Ian. Unfortunately, the process of getting him the dog that he needed was going to be easier said than done. The costs of training a diabetic service dog are high. He would need to raise $25,000. To raise the money that he needed, Ian decided that the family’s annual pumpkin sale would be a major help.
Once a woman named Teresa decided to share the story with her Facebook friends, the family noticed that their sales had risen sharply. He was not content to merely take over from a financial standpoint, either. Ian’s mother Katrina says that he is a natural born salesman. He clearly took great joy in helping others to find the pumpkin that is best for them.
Posted by Katrina Christensen on Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Posted by Katrina Christensen on Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Posted by Katrina Christensen on Wednesday, October 17, 2018
The family was sure to share plenty of photos from the experience. We are glad that they did because these are some of the most adorable snapshots that we have ever seen. The boy was able to raise all of the money that he needed to train his service dog and thanks to the kindness that has been displayed, he will be able to ride the bus with all the other kids.
Posted by Katrina Christensen on Saturday, October 13, 2018
It will take roughly ten months for the dog to be properly trained and Ian is waiting patiently until then. This boy’s story should serve as an inspiration to us all. When he needed a hand, he did not expect a handout. He pinpointed a necessary service and did his part to make sure that he would not have to go without. According to his mother, he grew up 150 pumpkins all by himself!
Christensen set up a fundraiser on Facebook. Within a week, they raised $24,890 to add to the $1,000 Unger raised selling pumpkins and $110 he made selling lemonade.