Dorrie Nuttal was sleeping in her bed one night when her dog, Jedi, suddenly woke her up. Annoyed and a bit sleep deprived, Dorrie told the dog to calm down and get back to sleep. The dog refused to give up and that was when Dorrie knew that something was definitely wrong. That’s when she decided to run into her 7-year-old son’s room and see if he was ok.
20. The Son
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Dorrie Nuttal’s son, Luke, suffers from type-1 diabetes. The 7-year-old is in need of constant monitoring to make sure that his blood sugar levels never get too low. If his blood sugar ever gets too low it could be fatal.
19. Juvenile Diabetes
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The condition is also often known as juvenile diabetes. Luke has had the condition since he was two-years-old. Throughout his life he has had tons of insulin shots and tests done to ensure that his blood sugar levels are at a normal level.
18. Type 1 Diabetes
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With a diagnosis of type-1 diabetes, the sufferer’s pancreas produces little to no insulin in the body. When there is no insulin in the body the person can begin to experience some pretty bad symptoms such as nausea, blurry vision, and irritability. The worst of these, however, is death.
17. Sugar Buildup
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Without insulin in the body, glucose is not able to make its way into the body’s cells. This causes sugar to build up in the bloodstream and is very dangerous. The body can eventually completely dehydrate.
16. Insulin Medication
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Thanks to the marvels of modern medicine, those that suffer from diabetes are able to inject themselves with insulin. While this helps incredibly, it can also cause blood sugar levels to drop very low. This is what happened to Luke on one night.
15. Dinner Time
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Luke had taken his insulin medication at dinner time and did not finish all of the food on his plate. He then decided to go out and play outdoors. All of this meant that his insulin levels were high and taking in a lot of sugar, which could be quite problematic.
14. Monitoring Device
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Since blood sugar levels can change so suddenly, many diabetics make use of monitoring devices. Luke uses a continuous glucose monitor sensor that pays close attention to his blood sugar levels.
13. Jedi
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While Luke does make use of a monitor, he also has another great detector that is always around: Jedi. Jedi is Luke’s therapy dog and the dog has been specifically trained to be able to detect if Luke’s blood sugar levels go too low or high.
12. Pup
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The Nuttal family got Jedi when he was just a tiny puppy and they got him specifically trained for the job. “Life with type 1 diabetes involves high and lows and lots and lots of needles, every single day. We trained Jedi to alert us when Luke goes too low or too high,” Dorrie wrote on a Facebook post.
11. Great Sense
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The dog has been trained so well that he can often spot out blood sugar level changes before Luke’s monitor can. “His alerts often beat the meters, and he saves Luke from lots of the crummy feelings and health issues that go along with each,” Dorrie wrote.
10. Constant Companion
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“Jedi’s job goes beyond alerting. He also saves Luke from being alone, from being scared. He is his constant companion,” Dorrie continued to explain on her Facebook post. The dog’s entire life is dedicated to Luke’s wellbeing.
9. Night Buddies
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Every night, Jedi crawls into bed with Luke and sleeps right beside him. He helps calm Luke’s nerves and is also there to monitor him at night. That’s why it was so strange when Jedi showed up to Dorrie’s room in the middle of the night…
8. Not Budging
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Jedi had propped himself on top of Dorrie in order to wake her up that night. When Dorrie finally woke up and realized that Jedi wasn’t going away, she decided to get up and check on her son immediately. She checked Luke’s monitor but it said that his levels were ok…
7. Jedi’s Intuition
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“I knew [Jedi] meant business, and the sleepy fog started to wear off,” Dorrie wrote. As she left Luke’s room, Jedi quickly bowed down to the floor. This was the signal that Luke’s blood sugar levels were too low. That’s when Dorrie pricked her son’s figure to get a real answer.
6. Dangerously Low Levels
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“I pricked his finger and got this, 57 is way too low, and by Jedi’s behavior I guarantee he was dropping fast,” Dorrie said. Jedi indeed knew something was wrong and knew that she had to alert Dorrie as quickly as possible.
5. No Idea
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“Luke was laying right next to me, just inches from me, and without Jedi, I would have had no idea that he was dropping out of a safe range,” Dorrie lamented. Dorrie also explained how it can be so difficult to always be on track of Luke’s blood sugar levels, no matter how diligent she and her husband are.
4. Highs and Lows
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“Most people don’t know that we often see multiple lows and highs every single day no matter how hard we work or how diligent we are. It’s not easy trying to be a pancreas,” Dorrie expressed.
3. Multiple Checks
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Although Dorrie and her husband check on Luke three times a night, it can still be easy to miss a problem. This is exactly why having Jedi around is so helpful as his diligence is truly lifesaving. Jedi is the life saving Labrador that kept her best buddy safe.
2. Lifesaver
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“No alarms were going off, no one was checking blood, no one was thinking about diabetes, and it’s in those moments when our guards are down, when we are just living life, when we let our minds drift from diabetes, that it has the upper hand – and things can get scary very fast… but thankfully we have a Jedi,” Dorrie wrote.
1. Great Friend
Image: ABC News
Jedi is not only a lifesaving therapy dog to Luke but he is also a best friend. The two are pretty much inseparable and are always playing together. Dorrie is grateful to have such an amazing dog in her family’s life.