Incredible dog saves owner’s life hundreds of times
HYPO HOUND JADE ALERTS DIABETES SUFFERER TO POTENTIALLY DEADLY BLOOD SUGAR ATTACKS
Her attachment to me is phenomenal. She is always by my side Chris Gardner
THIS amazing dog has saved her owner’s life hundreds of times over.
When Chris Gardner, 34, collapsed out of the blue at the age of 22, his life changed forever.
He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and since then he has had more ambulance call-outs, high dependency stays and A&E visits than he can remember – all because his condition sends his blood sugar levels dangerously high or low.
His diabetes caused him to develop other serious health conditions, which affect his heart and nervous system. Things got so bad for Chris, who is married to Samantha and lives in Pendlebury, Salford, that he enquired about a pancreas transplant but his diabetes is too severe for him to have surgery. Deprived of independence and unable even to play with his son Jayden, six, Chris felt he was existing rather than living. Then, just over three years ago, Chris was introduced to golden retriever Jade, by the charity Medical Detection Dogs. Since then, Jade, a hypo alert dog, has been able to detect that Chris’s blood glucose levels were low thousands of times, preventing him from having a possible hypo attack. If Chris’s blood sugar drops to a certain level, Jade will place a paw on him if he is sitting down, or jump up at him if he is standing up. This enables Chris to take action to prevent himself becoming sick. In one threemonth period, Jade had to warn Chris about potentially dangerous blood sugar levels almost 400 times. The pair have also developed an incredible bond, and Chris credits Jade with helping him get his independence back. Chris said: “Her attachment to me is phenomenal. She is always by my side. She sleeps beside my bed and even when she is out running free on a walk she prefers to keep by my side.”
Hypo dogs are trained to be able to pick up on a scent in human breath which occurs when blood sugar falls low. For the first time in 10 years Chris says he is optimistic about the future.
He said: “I am taking things slowly but steadily as my confidence grows. I still struggle on bad days but most days I try to cram in as much as possible with my wife and son, with trips to the beach and museums.
“I’d like to get back to work – perhaps something in IT where an employer will accept a dog.”
Chris is a regular user of global diabetes community diabetes.co.uk and has made a network of new friends who he can share his experiences with.