Fundraiser set for April 6 at Knucklehead Pub in Eagle
By Tracy Ouellette
SLN Staff
Kids and dogs go together like peanut butter and jelly, but for one area boy, having the right dog could literally be a lifesaver.
Four-year-old Jack Klingbiel, of Mukwonago, has type 1 diabetes and owning a diabetic alert dog would be one more tool to keep him healthy.
Jack was diagnosed with the disease just after his second birthday, his mom, Sara Klingbiel, said.
“I took him for his 2-year check up at his primary physician and I mentioned to her that he was constantly thirsty. We’d give him cup a juice or water and he’d immediately would want more. And then when he work up in the mornings he’d be just soaked, his diaper was just soaked.
“She said it could be signs of type 1 diabetes, which was a shock to us, it’s not in the family. So they tested him and his blood had the highest amount of sugar it could have.”
Jack was sent directly to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and for the next two days, underwent extensive testing and treatment, Sara said.
“And we were trained on how to manage the disease,” she continued. “It was a little overwhelming at first. We learned how to test his blood sugar, count his carbs, and I mean every single carb, how to read nutrition labels and how to dose him with insulin.”
Their whole lives changed with Jack’s diagnosis, Sara said. Suddenly, everything revolved around his blood sugar levels and his treatment.
“But it’s gotten a lot easier as we learned,” she said. “It’s not easy, but it’s manageable. He needs about six injections a day and he has a CGM device. It’s a continuous glucose monitor that’s inserted under his skin and gives us reading about every five minutes on what his blood sugar is.”
But the device isn’t perfect and recently has been giving Sara and her husband, Luke, false readings recently.
“It will alert us to low or high sugar levels and the alarm will go off and when we test him, he’s fine,” Sara said. “We’re going to have it checked out, but it’s been a bit exhausting lately.”
The possibility of equipment malfunction is one reason Sara is looking for additional ways to protect Jack.
After her son’s diagnosis, and all the training, Sara said she took to the internet for support and more information on type 1 diabetes in children.
She began following a boy named Luke on Facebook who has a diabetic alert dog named “Jedi,” who was beating the CGM machine in detecting high and low sugar levels.
“At first I was kind of skeptical,” she recalled. “I mean, how can a dog do that? But after following them for about a year, I was more and more convinced. So I did some more research, reaching out to the mom of this boy, asking ‘Are you satisfied with your dog? What are the pros and cons? Was it worth it in the end?’”
Sara said the response she got from the boy’s mom was very positive and she continued her research.
“Every person I’ve spoken to have said they love it,” she said. “It doesn’t replace the CGM, but it offers and extra layer of protection and that’s what we wanted for Jack.
“The dog can detect high or low sugar in their breath and their trained to alert the family or the diabetic so they can fix the problem. One family said their dog beats the CGM every time.”
For Sara, the evidence was more than enough to being looking at how to purchase a dog for Jack.
“The only downfall I came across was the expense,” she said. “It costs about $2,500 for the dog and about $3,000 for each month of training, which is usually about six months long.”
Faced with a bill that could exceed $25,000 the Klingbiels knew they would need help.
For Jack’s birthday this year, Sara created a Facebook fundraiser asking friends and family to donate instead of buying presents.
“It’s so hard to ask for anything, but this is something we really want to do for Jack,” she said.
They are also holding a fundraiser on April 6 at Knucklehead Pub, 100 South Road in Eagle. The event begins at noon and will feature basket raffles, bean bag games, and food and beverage to purchase.
As for Jack, he’s doing well, Sara said and looking forward to getting a dog.
“He’s very excited that it’s going to be his own dog,” Sara said. “But he said it can’t jump on him or scratch him. He wants to name it Puppymelon, because he has a fish named Watermelon, but that’s not going to happen.
“And he’s excited because it could mean less ‘pokes’ and a break from his CGM, which has a larger needle, so he’s looking forward to that too.
“He’s such a smart boy, we always say he’s 4 going on 14. He’s so inquisitive about how things work and just hilarious. I could make a movie or Youtube channel with the stuff he says. He loves playing in the snow, he’d stay out there until he turned into a popsicle if I let him. You would never know he has diabetes if you met him. He’s just a happy boy and we want to keep it that way.”
For more information, or to make a donation for Jack’s diabetic alert dog, find Jack’s Fundraiser Raffle and/or Sara on Facebook.
