KAH Welcomes Newest Hero

Posted by TeamCharlie on March 2, 2009 under Kids are Heroes | Be the First to Comment

One thing that always amazes me about the kids on the Kids Are Heroes web site is that each dream they have is different. These young minds are usually sparked by something dear to them that touches them. This is no different with our newest hero, Mark Rinkel. He is a 13-year-old boy who has already accomplished so much in such a short while.  His younger brother has type 1 diabetes.  Through lemonade stands, Mark made $17,000.00 to get his younger brother a diabetic alert dog.  Unfortunately he was scammed by the company that sold him the dog and lost all his money. Most kids would have been devastated and given up as a result. Mark pressed on to try to establish standards and to help other families get a reliable diabetic alert dog. 

See the feature on KidsAreHeroes.com here.

There is more, Mark needs our help.  In helping other families acquire and train alert dogs certain situations come up.  Mark has tasked himself to help solve these problems which requires him to think on his feet.  Some issues arise which are difficult for anyone to solve, let alone a 13-year-old boy.  Please read these stories and forward to anyone who you might think can help or would know of someone who can help.

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 named Dot 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.  Thank you so much!