YOU SHOULD KNOW: Kendal Ross and Kaeclin Shepard
By Sherry Van Arsdall, Goshen News, Ind. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
She wanted to donate the money to a charity and asked her mother for suggestions.
Kendal went to the
"The lady at the counter (at
The 10-year-old had written a note for Kaeclin and was able to give it to her in person.
There were big smiles from both girls during their meeting.
"I was happy and it made me happy the little girl gave me money for my dog," Kaeclin said. "I'm very excited and can't wait to get my dog. I love dogs."
Kaeclin's mom,
Shepard had posted these words: "We didn't have a childcare today so Kaeclin 'worked' at the swim school today. She very rarely gets to work with us but God had a reason for her to be there today... she had a surprise visitor from a complete stranger (a girl about her age) named
Kendal's mother shed a few tears after her daughter returned to the car.
"I stayed in the car while she went inside," Ross said. "She came out so excited because she got to meet Kaeclin."
Kendal's donation of
"That amount is just for the dog alone, it doesn't include taxes and other things. We will insure the dog, too," Shepard said. "The company we are going through raised the price, so we got in just before the price increase. The company uses rescue dogs and that's why we went with them. I did tons of research online, there are so many different companies."
She added the dog will be trained with Kaeclin's scent of her high and low blood sugar levels since her daughter "is insulin dependent to stay alive" because her pancreas doesn't function at all.
"Kaeclin gets poked with needles 10 to 15 times a day to stay alive. Nights are very scary because if her blood sugar drops too low in her sleep she might not wake up," Shepard said. "Our life has been turned upside down."
The mother admitted to not being a pet-lover, but said this will be the exception because the animal is a service dog.
"The dog will help comfort all of us at night as these dogs are scent trained and can alert in the day and night to help us catch Kaeclin's blood sugar dropping or rising," Shepard said. "I get up two or three times in the night to see if she is breathing and check her levels. There's been a lot of sleepless nights due to her sugar levels. Diabetics can die in their sleep."
What will having the diabetic alert dog mean for Kaeclin?
The dog will be the sole responsibility of the 8-year-old, her mother said. No one else can pet, feed the dog or even take it outside for the bathroom.
" But I can go to a friend's house and I can ride my bike," Kacelin said, smiling.
Her mother added her daughter can't go to a friend's house or camp like a regular kid. She can't even ride her bike around the neighborhood, her levels can change so quickly.
"I have to tag along to birthday parties and other things," Shepard said. "She'll have a bit more freedom once the dog adjusts and so will I. If the dog saves her one time it's worth everything we are going through."
The mother choked up while expressing her emotions to Kendal's generosity.
"My heart has been touched with generous donations, but there is just something about a child giving to a child that they don't know and makes me realize how kids can help kids," Shepard said. "There have been many of Kaeclin's friends that have done sales to help along with other friends picking up dog poop and dog walking for donations. Every little bit gets us closer to our goal to bring her dog home!"
For more information on donations or reading Kaeclin's full story, check the website at the link: www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/help-kaeclin-get-a-diabetic-alert-dog/166078/update/167932 or donations can be mailed to Kaeclin at
Follow Kaeclin's story on the Facebook page below at https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=831944203500973
Just the Facts Kendal Ross is the daughter of
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