FRANKIE'S STORY!
Frankie was diagnosed on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 in the Pediatric ER at Edward Hospital. He had severe Diabetic keto-acidosis (DKA) along with other complications. A virus probably triggered this. The pediatricians did not recognize any of his symptoms. No one in either of our families has Type 1 Diabetes! I brought him into the ER for blood work - many attempts were made on his 15-month old fingers and arms but his veins had collapsed and retracted. A Pediatric ER nurse finally took the time to ask us to come with him to the Pediatric ER, where they finally figured out what was really wrong with Frankie.
After a couple hours I was told that Frankie had Juvenile Diabetes and would not be leaving the hospital for days. I called my husband, Scott, who had my parents take our older son, Brettman (3 yrs) the remainder of the week. Frankie was admitted to the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) as their most severe case. He had a CAT scan as well because the specialist said he was a "perfect candidate for brain swelling." He told us to prepare for the worst and that they would see how things would go "hour-by-hour." They did a special procedure on both sides of his neck so they could get blood more easily from him. One side stopped after 2 days. The other side stopped working on the 3rd day in the hospital. His arms were attached to boards so he could not reach any of the tubes or wires attached to him.
The first morning was one of the most beautiful ever! Frankie had made it through the night without brain swelling! God had answered our prayers.
Scott and I spent nearly a week in the hospital with Frankie. Our very energetic baby boy had gone into the hospital doing nothing but moaning, laying down and sleeping. The doctors made it clear to Scott and I that we would not be able to take our son home unless we became competent in diabetic care for Frankie. We participated in daily training & did a great deal of reading at the hospital and afterwards. We were so happy, tired & scared when we finally took him home.
Ever since then, our lives have significantly changed. We go to doctors every other month, if not more often. We could not leave Frankie for more than 2 hours during his first year. Now we can go out for the evening but must stay within a short distance from him, in case of any problems. If he is sick, everything is monitored even more closely. There is so much more than I could even try to write down...
Frankie wears an OmniPod insulin pump and a Dexcom CGM (continuous glucose monitor) all the time. He still has to have his blood sugar tested (via finger sticks) 7 – 20 times a day. His diet is monitored, carbohydrates counted, ketones checked and much, much more. When he attended morning kindergarten in 2012, he usually saw the nurse at least 3-5 times (for a total of 30-60 minutes) in the 2½ hours he attends school. Now that he is finishing 2nd grade he sees the nurse at least 6 times per day if not more. This has effected him in a variety of ways including academically.
Again, we are asking for your support because now more than ever, your donation will help Frankie and our family more directly. Each one of us can make a real difference! I really appreciate all of the support we have received with the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk, Arthritis Walks and our previous JDRF Walks over the years. Never before, has a cause hit so close to home! Thank you so much for your past and current support! We hope to fundraise as much as possible to complete our commitment for our assistance dog, Stanley, to Freedom Paws Assistance Dogs.
Each dog that Freedom Paws places with an individual is free of charge to the recipient but they are required to fundraise $10,000. This means Freedom Paws and the recipient rely heavily on private contributions to be able to reach their mission. Each dog costs approximately $25,000 to raise, train and place with a recipient. These expenses include all medical costs (vaccinations, preventatives, spay/neuter), health screenings (elbow, hip and eyes), as well as food, equipment and professional training.
Any and all help towards our $10,000 goal is tremendously appreciated! Please take a moment to donate online or feel free to send me a check made out to Freedom Paws Assistance Dogs. Remember: Freedom Paws is a Not-For-Profit 501c3 organization and all donations are tax deductible.
Every dollar counts!
With our D.A.D.,Frankie is able to go out and about anywhere and is able to monitor his blood sugar levels more accurately and faster than even the high-tech equipment that he wears constantly. This way, Frankie is able to go without wearing his backpack occasionally, that stores his CGM monitor (as it is uncomfortable) and still be monitored via the DAD’s sense of smell. We collected at least a dozen plus saliva samples of different blood sugar levels and sent them overnight to Ohio during 2013 for the DAD’s training. Our family spent 1 week in Ohio with Freedom Paws for team training in the summer of 2014 for Stanley.
We hope that Stanley will help us regulate Frankie’s blood glucose levels in order to make his body and organs healthier, stop his insulin resistance, lower his A1C level and more! The DAD is a skilled companion service dog as well, which can remain with Frankie on a constant basis.
Won't you please give to Freedom Paws Assistance Dogs as generously as you're able? Every single dollar gets us closer to our goal of helping Frankie, on a daily basis!!
Donations are best made online but we will gratefully accept checks made out to Freedom Paws or Deanna Bush as well. Any amount makes a difference!
AND/OR…
Even better, please join our team: Frankie's Fans! We are looking for others to help us fundraise in any way possible!
Thank you so very much.
Sincerely,
Deanna, Scott, Brettman, Frankie & Stanley (D.A.D.) Bush