In the silence of one night, while everyone was sound asleep, a young boy slipped closer and closer towards tragedy. However, there was “someone” in the house who caught the impending danger, and who knew the boy was in peril.
Luke is a young boy who suffers from type 1 diabetes, a crippling disease that causes highly erratic blood sugar levels. One night, Luke’s blood sugar levels began to drop dangerously low. His mother, Dorrie Nuttall, hadn’t checked them, and was oblivious to the dire situation her son was in.
Thankfully, Luke’s canine friend came to the rescue, raising the alarm in the nick of time.
“Jedi” is a black labrador, but he’s not just your average family pet. When he was only 11 weeks old, Jedi started training to become a diabetic alert dog (DAD). Now, roughly five years on, he has the ability to detect chemical changes in a person’s blood sugar levels, sniffing out possible warning signs to keep his charge safe.
Jedi rushed to where Dorrie was sleeping, lying on top of her until she woke up. Upon checking her son’s blood sugar levels, Dorrie found them to be alarmingly low—only 57 mg/dl!
In a Facebook post that has since garnered significant reception, Nuttall stated, “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.”
“We don’t have a single member of our family [with diabetes]. I knew nothing about it. Nothing. A lot of kids die almost at diagnosis. People don’t know the warning signs,” Dorrie Nuttall said during an interview with CBS News.
Seeking to raise awareness of the disease, Nuttall resolved to share the touching story of her son and the bond he has with his faithful labrador companion, on Facebook.
Nuttall spoke of the special friendship between Luke and Jedi: “They love each other. I can’t explain their connection; it’s very strong and very beautiful.”
Luke was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 2. According to the American Diabetes Association, this is a form of diabetes that is found in only 5 percent of diabetes sufferers. This incurable disease’s only treatment is daily insulin injections.
Every day since this unfortunate diagnosis, Luke’s family has had to maintain a constant watch over his blood sugar levels.
For Luke’s family, type 1 diabetes has brought anxiety and hardship, but it’s also given rise to a special bond between Luke and Jedi. While Jedi can’t cure Luke’s disease, he'll always be by his side as a friend, companion, and lifesaver—something truly precious indeed!
