From all accounts, Terri was incredible. I only met her once in LA and didn't really know her, or about her legacy that would soon live on. (I do not intend to turn this blog into an obituary page, although we need one as we are getting older as nurses and as diabetes educators.)
Maybe she will inspire you too.
It is speculated that she lost her life in a car accident as a result of low blood sugar. In honor of her, the Golden State Network of Diabetes Educators is sponsoring a "Dog 4 Diabetics" an innovative non-profit organization that specifically train dogs to identify, and more importantly, act upon subtle changes of hypoglycemia. By alerting their owner, these dogs save lives. Each dog costs about 10k to train to the point of being able to detect hypoglycemia. (See http://www.dogs4diabetics.com/ for more info.) So, are you ready to save someone from fatally low blood sugars? Then help us sponsor a dog.
Stay tuned for a cartoon with doggie parts to sponsor. The first donation came in from the current national diabetes educator of the year, Teresa Valpone, a pharmacist and diabetes educator from Washington State. She sponsored the sweet little area right between the eyes - the window to the soul (Ziggy and Gaja chipped in). As Teresa put it, this could help someone avoid GRRRRR - lows! The rest of the doggie is up for grabs. Who wants to sponsor the tail, the left ear, the heart? You can mail a check to Dogs for Diabetics, Inc; 1647 Willow Pass Road, #157 in Concord, CA 94520.
Terri left needlessly. Save someone from a similar fate.
