Kids Are Heroes – Please Help!

Posted by TeamCharlie on February 27, 2009 under Kids are Heroes, Wags for Hope | 3 Comments to Read

My internet travels provide the best opportunities for me to discover new heroes for the Kids Are Heroes web site.  The other day was no different. I came across a 13-year-old boy in Denver, CO named Mark who has a little brother with Type 1 diabetes.  They have a service dog named Red that alerts when Jason’s blood sugar gets too high or too low.  I had never heard of that but found it fascinating.  Mark helps other families acquire, train and manage similar dogs for this same situation.  He has helped quite a few families across the country and in Canada and is tasked to solve problems on his feet.  There are two families in particular that Mark and his mom need extra help with.  That is where I hope the Twitter family can step in. (FYI TV News article on Mark can be seen here: http://www.9news.com/life/community/whocare/kids/article.aspx?storyid=109166&catid=538 )

Five-year-old Ayla is from Oregon. She has Type 1 diabetes.  She and her family are being evicted from their apartment because of their service dog.  (See the TV News report here.)  To add insult to injury, the puppy is suffering from cancer and I’m told she won’t make it.  Now this will have been the second dog this little girl has lost in her short term.  What Mark’s mother is asking for is that someone donate a golden retriever puppy to replace the other dog. She can ask pointed questions to determine if the animal would be susceptible to this type of service work.  If you know of anyone who can help with this, please leave a comment here.

There is a separate situation that needs equal attention.  There is a 13-year-old girl named Katie-Jane who lives in Denton, TX.  She has a wonderful German Shepherd that is also a diabetic alert dog.  This dog is a natural when it comes to this activity.  Unfortunately, it has a severe case of hip displaysia and needs an operation desperately.  I won’t go into the hardships of the family to explain why they cannot afford it, suffice it to say they have fallen on hard times.  What they are looking for is someone to perform the operation for free.  They claim that the dog be flown to wherever is necessary.

More info on both stories can be seen on Mark’s web site: http://www.redalertdogs.com

Again, please leave your info here if you can help, or email me at gabe@kidsareheroes.com.  Thanks.  Let’s see if Twitter is what we think it is!!