Our daughter Sara has Type 1 insulin-dependent diabetes.  She was diagnosed at age 18 and has struggled with this disease as a brittle diabetic ever since. After 21 years of testing, shots, insulin pump failures, and hospitalizations, she has been losing her sensation of feeling her high and low blood sugar levels. To assist her in monitoring her highs and lows, she wants to get a service dog trained to sense her condition before it become life-threatening.

It takes about 2 years to train a puppy from basic obedience up to the specialized training of a service dog.  The dog will learn to react according to Sara’s situation and let her know that she is in danger.  Unfortunately, this dog and the training cost about $25,000.  Sara must raise these funds herself through contributions and fund-raising activities. Sara has connected with an organization known as Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers (SDWR.)   They are a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization who raise and train service dogs for diabetics and other persons with special needs.  More information may be found at www.sdwr.org.

We are hoping to contact as many people as possible to aid Sara in her fundraising efforts.  If you wish to make a monetary contribution, go to the website www.sdwr.org and under the heading donate/personal campaigns/fundraiser, type “a dog for Sara” in the search box.  Sara’s personal story is there and all contributions will be directed to her campaign.  All contributions are tax deductible and donors will remain confidential and anonymous if desired.

Please feel free to distribute this information to anyone else who you feel would be interested in making a contribution.

If you have any questions, contact Sara by E-mail at “[email protected]” or call us at (319) 390-3961.

Thank you for your interest!

Jack & Kate Ulmer