Share the Spirit: Early Alert Canines brings ‘peace of mind’ to East Bay family

CONCORD — For the first time in her life, Amelia Esteves soon won’t have her parents’ alarm clocks to rely on.

The 17-year-old Northgate High School student, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in the fifth grade, has counted on her mom and dad “to make sure my blood sugar is good before I go to sleep.”

“I live with my parents and they have three alarms that they’re good about waking up to. And I’m not yet,” she said in a recent interview.

So the thought of living by herself when she goes off to college makes her feel uneasy.

Luckily, there is a solution in nearby Concord — Early Alert Canines, an organization that pairs dogs trained to detect dangerously low blood-sugar levels with people suffering from diabetes, like Amelia. Currently, Early Alert Canines is looking for about a dozen homes for their dogs and are also fielding donations to help with their efforts to save the lives of people who have the common insulin-dependent chronic disease.

Through the East Bay Times’ Share the Spirit campaign, which helps the neediest in our communities, Early Alert Canines is hoping to raise over $5,000 to help people suffering from diabetes, a chronic disease that affects about 11 percent of the U.S. population, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

For Amelia, Type 1 diabetes is something she’s dealt with since elementary school. It was discovered after she returned from a camp and experienced unexplained weight loss, constant headaches, relentless thirst and insatiable hunger. At the time, her family thought it was the flu. Her strange health lapses would later show itself to be her life-changing condition.

Over the years, she has learned to deal with her disease, which has no cure, through insulin management. She currently has digital devices which help monitor her diabetes. But right now, Esteves is looking for the next level of insulin management that could save her life if she drops below a safe level of insulin at any given time. Night time is the most challenging part of the day for her routine.

Esteves’ mother, Kim Nackord, said she worries about when her daughter goes to college and who will look after her.

“The thing that you want for your kid the most is for them to be able to live their life to their full potential,” said Nackord, who called her daughter nevertheless self-sufficient. “This is the one thing that’s been holding her back. It’s held her back so much in her childhood.”

But Nackford takes comfort in knowing her daughter will have a new friend watching over her – a dog from Early Alert Canines.

Carol Edwards, the organization’s executive director, said the dogs go through a rigorous 18-month training program to get certified to detect dangerous blood sugar levels in humans. The training begins when the dogs are as young as eight weeks old. Because dogs use about 40% of their brain for recognizing scents, they are the perfect candidates for the job.

“In their mind, it’s a fun hide and seek game,” Edwards said. “Their noses are so phenomenal. They’re so much better than ours.”

She said that dogs outperform modern technology, and many blood sugar monitoring devices are slower to show results than the dogs coming out of her organization. Because her furry companions are in high demand, they started a puppy-raising program last year.

“That companionship, that loyalty, that consistency. They’re always there. They’re always on,” Edwards said. “And they use that fantastic nose to make that happen.”

Now, Early Alert Canines is soliciting volunteers to help raise puppies in their own homes in the Contra Costa County area, aiding the service animals to get acclimated to being in public places and being close to people.

The goal this year is to max out their puppy-raising program at 10 dogs, and next year, they hope to expand to 12 puppies in volunteer homes.

Nackord said having a specially trained dog look after Amelia will bring her “peace of mind.” It’s also a perfect fit for Amelia, who grew up with two dogs – a pitbull named Pumpkin and a Portuguese water dog named Gus.

Amelia will soon be paired with a furry companion of her own and she said she will welcome the new dog with open arms. The teen who enjoys playwriting, acting, choreography and dance wants to move to Los Angeles to study film and business, though she still needs to pick a college.

“I think everyone’s goal is to be independent and successful. But for me and other diabetics we have the extra worry of just being able to just stay safe and stay alive,” Esteves said. “Being able to have a dog that can help me with that, that’s also a companion and also a friend that can keep me safe and alive without me having to worry is great.”

THE SHARE THE SPIRIT SERIES Share the Spirit is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operated by the East Bay Times, The Mercury News and Bay Area News Group that provides relief, hope and opportunities for East Bay residents by helping raise money for nonprofit programs in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.

WISHDonations will support Early Alert Canines‘ training programs and client follow-up initiatives to help individuals with Type 1 Diabetes and their families. The nonprofit offers round-the-clock assistance for the lifetime of the dog, including continuous training, guidance on veterinary care, and advocacy to help clients understand and exercise their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Goal: $5,000

HOW TO GIVE Go to sharethespiriteastbay.org/donate or print and mail in this form.

LEARN MOREFind additional stories at sharethespiriteastbay.org.