Paws for a Cause: Liam's DAD Journey

Hello family, friends, and our T1D community family,

My name is Ally Mitchell, and my husband Erik and I are raising funds for a Diabetic Alert Dog (DAD) for our sweet, funny, active four year old son, Liam.

Liam’s Diagnosis

Liam was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in October 2025. After a week of extreme thirst and mood swings (more than the typical for our wild child), my mom spidey senses tingled. I knew something was wrong with my little guy, and my instincts were correct. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia confirmed my fears and diagnosed Liam with T1D. His glucose was so high in the ER that it didn’t register on their meter (we would later find his level was 707, and that he had ketones in his urine). Liam was hours away from heading into DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis). TLDR; LISTEN TO YOUR MOM SPIDEY SENSES.

Type 1 Diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the pancreas’s insulin-producing beta cells — or, if you’re a four year old boy, it simply means “zombies ate my pancreas.” There is no cure for T1D, and the management of this disease is all-consuming. It requires 24/7 monitoring of blood sugar levels, which if too high requires insulin, and too low requires quick-acting carbohydrates (cases of fruit snacks and juiceboxes have become a regular purchase in the Mitchell home this fall).

Our New Normal

Before Liam was diagnosed, I knew nothing about T1D. Our entire lives changed in an instant, and managing T1D in a four year old is a 24/7 job. Liam wears a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) on his arm called a Dexcom, which he has nicknamed “Dexter.” The CGM helps track his blood sugar and provides alarms and notifications on our cell phones and other electronic devices so we know if his levels are too high or too low. However amazing the advances in technology are, technology is not fool proof. The CGM disconnects several times a day, and often lags 10 to 15 minutes behind – which can be critical time for a young boy who cannot tell us when something feels wrong.

A Life-Saving Companion for Liam

We are raising funds for a Diabetic Alert Dog (DAD) – a trained service dog who can detect dangerous blood sugar changes 15–30 minutes before a CGM like “Dexter” sends alerts. These dogs use their sense of smell to notice shifts in blood sugar and alert us before Liam’s levels reach dangerous highs or lows. With Liam being so young, he can’t always communicate his symptoms effectively or consistently. A Diabetic Alert Dog would be an essential medical tool to help keep Liam in a safer, more consistent blood sugar range.

But more than that, this dog would be a companion for Liam, a constant, warm security blanket as he copes and adapts to having T1D. Liam has been SO incredibly brave and resilient through all of this–he doesn’t complain for finger pricks, insulin shots, or CGM changes. He doesn’t complain when we wake him up in the middle of the night to drink a juicebox or eat some Sweet Tarts to correct a low blood sugar. He has shown a resilience, positivity and understanding that many adults I know would not be able to exhibit given these circumstances–and he was diagnosed just a few days after his fourth birthday.

This dog will be there not only for the life-threatening moments, but also for the quiet, difficult days when Liam feels tired, different, and just “over” having this lifelong disease. This dog will help save Liam’s life both physically and emotionally, by protecting our boy when technology falters, and giving him a built-in best friend.

The Cost of Peace of Mind

The cost of a fully trained Diabetic Alert Dog is $21,000, and of course, insurance does not cover anything. We are excited to be on the waitlist for a DAD through the Diabetic Alert Dogs of America. Diabetic alert dog training takes 16-18 months, but Liam could match with a service dog who is already in training in as little to 6-7 months if the funds are raised!

More About Liam

Liam is so much more than his diagnosis, and we are trying very hard to give him the normal life he deserves, despite the daily presence of finger pricks, CGM site changes, and insulin injections. Liam is the youngest of five children, and is definitely our wild child. He has not let T1D slow him down one bit! He loves ninja gymnastics at the YMCA, and can often be found “fighting monsters” behind our couch or playing Ninja Turtles with his six year old brother, Jaxon. Liam is a super active, imaginative, funny little boy who happens to have T1D, and we’re going to work every day to make sure he knows this disease does not define him or what he is capable of in the future.

Every donation–every single dollar–helps us get closer to the peace and sense of security a DAD would bring to Liam’s daily life. We want Liam to experience life as normal as possible, and this dog would allow him to do that.

Thank you for reading, and we appreciate your time and interest in Liam’s T1D journey.

With love and gratitude,

The Mitchell family