2 weeks ago our lives changed forever. My granddaughter Savannah, just 2 years old, became very lethargic. She was drinking & urinating excessively and slept for most of the day. She fell asleep early one night and then woke up violently vomiting. We took her to the ER and a triage nurse smelled the sweetness of her breath & immediately checked her sugar. She was at 478 & diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. We were told that waking up to vomit saved her life. She was severely dehydrated & after being stabilized, was rushed to All Children’s Hospital where she spent the next 5 days. Savannah is home now and her little body is having a hard time adjusting to all the changes. Her sugar runs high at night and her Mom spends most of the night checking her sugar to make sure she is ok. We have been doing our best to try to raise money to purchase a diabetic medical alert dog which can cost between $20000-$50000. This dog can potentially save her life, detecting her sugar highs and lows. Much to my disappointment, people turn away and are not willing to donate. They look at my granddaughter and see her as being sick. My granddaughter is not sick. She has a disease just like someone may have asthma or high blood pressure. 2 weeks ago I knew little about diabetes myself. I am now alot more educated and will continue to learn for the rest of my life. Ignorance is not an excuse. Savannah is a scared and confused little girl right now. She knows something has changed but she doesn’t understand why. We all want her to live as normal a life as possible, and that starts with others not treating her like she has a disability. It breaks my heart.

Cherie Griffiths

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