My name is Katie Jane Brashier. I'm twelve years old and am in the seventh grade. On February 13, 2006, I was sent to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. I lost ten pounds in three days, even though I was eating and drinking everything in sight, and I was constantly urinating day and night! I felt terrible! I was so tired & couldn't think straight. I was in the hospital over Valentine's Day, and even though my friends came to cheer me up, nobody could! Nobody could understand what I was going through! Nobody could really understand how I felt! So many doors had closed and I was afraid I was going to die! No sugar, certain amounts of food at each meal, and losing the freedom of eating when I wanted to, 4 to 6 shots a day, pricking my fingers constantly, timing meals and snacks, counting carbohydrates, constantly thinking about what to do next were only a few of the rules that I had to follow in order to stay healthy! Then, a door opened.

When I learned what a diabetic alert service dog was, and what they could do, I was ecstatic! No more sleeping with my mom at night! No more being scared of going to sleep and not waking up. No more getting up at 3:00am every night to check my blood sugar. No more being terrified of having a seizure. No more worrying about my life constantly, every second of the day! It was too good to be true! My parents immediately started researching to find an organization with good dogs in it to help me. When we were connected with HSP, or Heaven Scent Paws, fundraising immediately began. So many people were so generous with donations that it completely amazed me! Suddenly, a tragedy struck. The small son of a good friend of ours died in a horrible accident. The family was devastated! Instead of flowers, though, our friends asked that the money be given as donations for my diabetic alert service dog. Even in their time of grief, this family reached out to help someone else. Nothing could have saddened me, or warmed my heart more! The money that was given in memory of this precious child made up an enormous amount for what I needed to get my dog from Heaven Scent Paws. The thought of it brings tears in my eyes! Everyone I have ever known and some I don't know contributed to the fundraising for my dog! Then…… We discovered disturbing things about HSP - some of the dogs had not been trained properly. Some of the friends that I have made through HSP had to return their dogs because of aggression issues, protection issues, and fear of random people, such as simply someone wearing a hat. Some of them NEVER alerted my diabetic friends that received them. A few dogs had to be returned - hearts were crushed by this cruelness. Not only am I upset by the thought of not having a dog to help me, but I am also upset about the money, over $10,000, that was given by so many of my friends and family! I'm crushed by it all. My life has been sent into a spiral of anger, fear, and betrayal! Now I fear, more than ever, of having a seizure or not waking up in the morning. Without this dog to help me, I live in constant fear, every second. Awake or asleep, I am afraid. Now, those emotions that I had when I was first diagnosed have returned, even stronger than before! What do I tell my classmates? My friends? My relatives? The parents of this lost child? How do I fix this? Unfortunately, there is nothing that I can do except to tell everyone about what is going on! My hopes are crushed, my happiness replaced with fear and betrayal, and my life in danger. Please help me to recover what is now lost!