Boston Needs Your Help for a Service Dog

We have started this fundraiser in order to try to raise funds to buy a Diabetic Alert Service dog for our son, Boston, who was just diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Boston is not new to having an official diagnosis. He was diagnosed with dyspraxia at the age of three. Dyspraxia is a neurological condition that affects his fine and gross motor skills, his ability to plan and organize, his speech, and his cognitive functions. Later, a diagnosis of non-verbal learning disability was added on. He has also been with the Special Olympics as an athlete since he was 8 years old. He participated in swimming and bowling and loved those two sports. He thrived within the Special Olympics organization. Once he got to high school, he started actively participating in athletics at his own school. He is on the school’s Unified basketball team as a neurodiverse athlete. He is also on the golf team and, in the winter, he manages the boys basketball team. He is a busy young man but recently received a shock of learning that he has Type 1 Diabetes. With his dyspraxia and non-verbal learning disabilities, this was a huge blow for him (as it is for most that receive this diagnosis). As you may know, there is a big learning curve with being diabetic and having other disabilities just makes it even harder. Needless to say, this new diagnosis was overwhelming and heart wrenching for him and for all of his family. When he was in the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth, he was visited by a therapy dog with the Child and Family Life Specialist. This was a huge comfort for him. We have learned that there are service dogs that specialize in helping diabetic patients by warning them when they go too low or too high. This would be perfect for Boston. We are looking for help to fundraise for a diabetic alert service dog. The challenge is that they cost anywhere between $8,000 and $20,000 dollars. Puppies with the right potential often start at $2,500 and that’s just the low end. Finding the right fit takes time and expertise. Boston’s sister served eight years in the United States Marine Corps and has since built a career in dog training, working with explosives detection K9s and specializing in scent work. She’s taking on the training at no cost and will personally train this puppy to become a service dog. The full process can take up to two years, and even with her donating her time, there are still major expenses – vet care, food, supplies, and training tools. Any support will help make this possible for Boston. Thank you.