http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2007/nov/26/grace-and-garbo/

Medic alert dog helps diabetic teen enjoy active life

By Karen Ott Mayer
Special to The Commercial Appeal
Monday, November 26, 2007

It would seem that 15-year-old Grace Hanks is just a young girl and her dog, Garbo, is just a young black lab, but together they symbolize a lifeline.Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 8, Grace has spent her youth learning how to manage the disease and struggling to maintain her blood sugar level.
Despite all best efforts, her family has faced more than one emergency trip to the hospital, and until last month, worried about Grace during the night or when she was alone.
"Grace is a brittle diabetic, which means it's extremely difficult to maintain her blood sugar," said her mother Lori Hanks. " At one point, she was giving herself 12 insulin shots per day." As an adolescent, Grace's blood sugar is further influenced by growth hormones, puberty, stress and even a common cold virus.
Not only did Grace face physical challenges after her diagnosis, but emotional ones as well. "I thought maybe I couldn't do all the things I used to do," she said.
Then came Garbo.
Early on, the Hanks family, who live in Collierville, joined the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) in search of support and information. They read about service dogs that work as medic alert dogs monitoring blood sugar levels, seizures and even migraines. "These dogs can cost up to $40,000," said Grace's dad, Jody.
At the annual JDRF gala last spring events occurred that would lead them to Garbo. "They were auctioning service dogs in the auction," said Lori. The nonprofit group called Canine Assistance Rehabilitation Education and Services (CARES) of Kansas auctioned "a dog," meaning a family purchased a dog they would meet in the future, since pairings are extremely specific.
The Hanks family got a dog for about $3,700.
The training process for dogs like Garbo begins at 6 weeks, when a puppy joins a foster family. Then, the dog spends time with an inmate in the El Dorado, Kan., prison system to learn basic obedience skills.
The purchasing family completes a detailed questionnaire that profiles interests, activities and lifestyle. "The agency really tries to match the dog to the owner's personality," said Lori.
The dogs are taught scent discrimination skills, which build on their natural ability. "Dogs have 400 times the scent ability of humans," said Lori.
Lori and Grace traveled to Kansas in October, where they spent a week with CARES and finally, met Garbo, the willowy and friendly lab that would be Grace's companion and more.
"They brought Garbo into the room and said, 'Garbo, meet Grace,' and she ran to Grace. They bonded immediately," said Lori.
Everyone has a unique scent, and Grace's scent changes when her blood sugar changes. The dog detects that change and alerts its owner.
The process for Grace and Garbo is simple. Each time Grace checks her blood sugar, she holds out her hand and asks Garbo sniff her hand. "If my blood sugar is fine, I just pat her and say something nice. If my blood sugar is out of range, then I give her a treat," Grace said. Only Grace is allowed to reward Garbo.
The two go everywhere together, including Grace's school, Rossville Christian Acadamy.
"Everyone at school loves her. I know if she detects something wrong at school, because she'll lay down most of the time, but if she keeps getting up or is persistent, I know to check my blood sugar," Grace said.
Since joining the family, Garbo has proven her worth. One night, Garbo woke Grace up. "She wouldn't leave me alone and stood over me, licking my face. Finally, I said OK and checked my sugar. It was actually really low."
Lori says Garbo has brought a sense of peace to her nights. "In August (before they had the dog), Grace awoke and was seriously sick. She had to sit and scoot down the staircase to wake us. We immediately went to the hospital. If she hadn't woken up that night, she could have easily died. With Garbo, I feel safe going to bed at night," Lori said.
The family now foeels they have real protection as Grace ventures into the world alone. "I want Garbo with her when she drives, or as she goes to college. If we're with her, we may leave Garbo at home. It's just those times when Grace is alone that is so crucial to have Garbo." Jody said.
He says that it's important for families who find themselves with a diabetic child to reach out to other families. "Try not to face it alone. We learn something every day from someone who may have more experience than us or we may be able to share our experience with someone whose child has just been diagnosed."
And Lori wants other diabetics to know that dogs like Garbo are available.
"They may not realize that these dogs are affordable and that they really can help diabetics."

Grace Hanks got diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 8. Grace spent half of her young life learning how to manage the disease and struggling to maintain her blood sugar level. Early on, the Hanks family decided to joined the Juveile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) in search of support information. They read about service dogs that work as medic alert dogs, which help in monitoring blood sugar level, with seizures and even migraines. These dogs can cost up to $40,000. At the annual JDRF gala which took place last spring, a chain of events started that lead the Hanks family to Garbo. There was an auctioning services for dogs, and at that time the Hanks family got a dog for about $3,700. Of course, there was to be some training for the dog to learn basic obedience skills. The process for Grace and Garbo is simple. Everytime Grace checks her blood sugar, she holds her hand out and asks Garbo to sniff her hand. If Grace's blood sugar is fine, she just pats her and says something nice. If her blood sugar is out of range, then she gives a treat. But only Grace is allowed to give the treat to Garbo. Now Grace and Garbo go everywhere together, including Grace's school, Rossville Christian Acadamy.

Grace went through a very difficult time with the diabetes, especially when she was only 8. Grace is a very strong girl; if this were happen to me, I would give up quickly. Grace must be very happy now that she has Garbo next to her all the time. I love dogs, but I did not know that dogs can sense diabetes; that's very awesome. I hope she's always happy because Garbo is always next to her.