Hello, my name is Michelle! I am raising money for little angels' service dogs, a 501c3 nonprofit that places life changing service dogs with children and adults with disabilities. As a nonprofit, little angels never require recipients to pay for a dog. Instead, recipients are encouraged to get involved with fundraising. Training these highly skilled dogs is very costly. It cost little angels an average of $38,000 to raise, care for, train, and place one service dog. I am raising money for little angels, so they are able to continue changing lives while I wait for my own life changing diabetic alert dog.

Michelle's personal story

Hi everyone, I was diagnosed at age 14 with a very rear genetic disorder called MEN 1 (multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1). This disease causes tumors and cancers that develop throughout the body, which has caused me to have multiple surgeries in "2014" I had a Whipple operation that involved removing half of my pancreas, gallbladder and portion of my stomach and some of my small intestine (duodenum). I've had 3 separate surgeries to remove half of my thyroid and parathyroids due to tumors. In January 2023 I was diagnosed with Hurthle cell thyroid cancer (a rare aggressive thyroid cancer). I will need the rest of my thyroid removed in the coming weeks which leaves me at risk for a very complicated surgery due to having a paralyzed vocal cord from my prior operations and large amounts of scar tissue. In March of 2022 I was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer), which required a kidney ablation to remove the tumor. In April of 2022 I had the rest of my pancreas removed and spleen due to chronic pancreatitis and multiple tumors that developed, Recovery hasn't been easy, especially adapting to now being a type 1 diabetic and having to take pancreatic enzymes (Creon) before eating anything just to be able to digest my food. upon removal of my pancreas which helps with digestion and controls blood sugar levels. I am coming up on 1 year post op and I am still struggling! I suffer from severe fatigue, nausea poor appetite due to being malnourished (causing me to lose a lot of weight) stomach pain, and uncontrollable blood sugars. I am insulin dependent and on an insulin pump for the rest of my life this has been an enormous life change for me and my family. There is a life-threatening component to type 1 diabetes if not managed correctly many things can affect blood sugar, such as level of exercise, illness diet changes, hormone changes and age. I must monitor my blood sugar levels 24/7 including throughout the night, as I experience fluctuations in blood sugar levels for many reason that are out often outside control. low and high sugar comes with short- and long-term effects. Having high blood sugar for extended periods of time can lead to severe complications such as organ failure, loss of vision and many other detrimental issues. In terms of how it feels, it's the equivalent of being (sick) or drunk for those who drink, and leaves me feeling awful, and unable ;to participate in activities that I love and not being able to enjoy life with my 5-year-old son and leaves me at risk of future complications- conversely, low blood sugar is more immediately life threating and if left untreated, it can lead to seizures, unconsciousness and even death in extreme cases although I am wearing the latest constant glucose monitoring system, as one of the essential tools to manage my diabetes. the CGM reduces finger pricks and alerts to lows and highs, however technology is NOT always reliable nor am I always to feel and respond to blood sugar changes, more often I experience hypo unawareness, meaning I don't always feel my lows (especially at night) This increases my risk of life-threatening consequences from low blood sugar. I am going to be completely honest.... I am having a hard time accepting my "new life" and accepting my limitations. My son and husband keep me on my feet which helps both mind and body. i would love to be able to go for short walks (we live by a lake) and enjoy some physical activates but unfortunately, every time I've tried, my blood sugar drops very low. I've tried eating slow burning carbs prior the walk but I still get extremely weak and need to sit down and rest

I recently have been accepted into a service dog program with little angel's service dogs, and I am over the moon excited, we know that having a diabetic alert dog will benefit my life in so many ways. But beyond being beautiful creatures, they are genuinely life- changing tools and companions. as a service dog protected under the ADA. They are given full public access, including going to school, store, doctors and even the airport and everything in-between. As the name applies, they are medical alert dogs that alert me when my blood sugars drop to fast and act on them, hopefully protecting me from falling to low and getting to those dangerous and scary positions. A diabetic alert dog is most needed at night when I'm sleeping. the CGM and insulin pump try to alarm me, but I sleep through it most of the time, or it is not loud enough to wake me up. A D.A.D. can notice when I'm low or high and physically wake me up by pawing at me or jumping on my chest, waking me up and giving me ample time to correct my sugars as my CGM has a 20-minute delay in glucose readings and most importantly go for help if I become unconscious. and should I become impaired, the dog will notice and react. Dexcom cannot. A service dog will increase my safety and lift some of the Burden and worry that me and my family all experience. The support of the dog will increase my confidence and allow me to venture out mor independently. I will feel safer at night "back up" support of my dog. Having diabetes can feel lonely, isolating, and some days it's too much to deal with. In addition to helping keep me safe, we know a service dog will provide me with a feeling of security and emotional support.

For these reasons and so many more, we are asking you to consider making a donation to this amazing organization for the work they do and the lives they impact so powerfully every dog little angels provides is paid for by donations from people like you! Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to little angels service dogs and sharing with family and friends. Thank you from the very bottom of our hearts for being a part of a mission aimed to enhance the lives of individuals like Michelle. * It is important to please always remember to use this solicitation code AD-NE-MI when donating outside of this site with a check, etc. because little angels track all incoming donations. **To send a check directly to the organization, be sure to write Michelle's code '' AD-NE-MI" in the memo section and make checks payable to "little angels service dogs" mail checks to Little Angels Service Dogs Post Office Box 219 Jamul, CA 91935