What a day this has been!

Today was an amazing day!  Delivery was great.  Kai is everything we hoped he would be.  Sure, I am exhausted.  Sure, it feels like bringing home a newborn.  But he caught two lows today.  Betcha didn't think I was going to say that.  Both times Kai got the hiccups and we checked and sure enough, Brad was under 80. 

Is this going to be a piece of cake, heck no.  Are we afraid of the challenge, HECK NO!!  This is a process.  There are going to be good days, bad days and everything in between.  We are going to take the good with the bad and realize that Kai is not going to be fully trained for two years.  This is a process.  A process we fully welcome with open arms.

Here are some pics during the day today:

He is already amazing!  Tomorrow is going to be just as awesome.  I cannot wait.  We are meeting with the Des Peres FD and going to do Public Access Training.  I think the bed is calling us!!

Big Week!

Here we are.  Two days from the arrival of Kai.  We are so excited.  It is amazing how much we have to prepare.  We need to have baby gates to make sure Kai does not get where we don't want him to go.  Then there is food, toys, a cage for him to sleep in, bed, and all the other stuff doggies need to have a good life.  We are also going to have to get a Kai "bag" for when we go out into public and he had an accident.  He will only be 16 weeks old after all.

All of these things we were so excited to buy.  He is going to be such an amazing addition.  We cannot wait to meet our trainer Ms. Cheri Campbell.  She is the lead trainer at Warren Retrievers.  You can tell she just loves those dogs so much.  That is the best quality you can ask for in a trainer.  

We hope you can all attend our fundraiser Cocktails for Kai on September 8th.  Please just let us know you are coming so we can make sure there is plenty of drinks and food!!

I will post several times this week with I am sure a TON of photos of this new little guy.  So please stay tuned.  The amazing things that he will do will all be reported here.  Also, if you are thinking about getting a Diabetic Alert Dog, send me an email at fightingtype1@yahoo.com.  I will be happy to answer any questions.

If you wish to make a donation to Bradley and Kai, send me an email and I will be happy to help you through it.  You can also find information in the FAQ's section of this blog.

See you all this week!!!

Tiffany

11 Days...

Isn't it when you really want something time just seems to stop ?  In 11 days, just 11 days our lives are going to change.  11 days from now Brad will gain freedom.  11 days from now I will learn what it is like to not worry so much.  11 days from now Sabrina will have a furry black lab little brother.

It is like when you are kid and you are counting down to Christmas.  I remember I had a Santa Clause face from 7up or Coca Cola (can't remember which one) and you had to glue a cotton ball to the face of Santa for each day in December.  I remember looking at it and thinking, UGH, it is never going to get here!  There is all this excitement and joy because, holy cow, Santa is coming.  This is how it feels waiting for this little miracle.  11 Days feels SO FAR AWAY!  I know it will be here soon enough and the hard work of training him will kick in, but we are ready for it.

Do you know what it is like to worry about your grown husband driving?  Or worrying that his blood sugar is dropping while he is watching your two year old?  This is what diabetes does.  It took away Brad's ability to do some of the things he loves.  You can really take driving for granted until you can't do it because your family is so afraid of what might happen.

This is why 11 days is so amazing to us and it seems like a lifetime to get here.  I have a flood of emotions right now.  None of which are fear. 

In 11 Days, our lives are going to change for ever.

Thank you to Dan Warren, Cheri Campbell, the other trainers that I have not met yet and all the Warren Retriever families.  For everything.  For the hope, for Kai, for all you do, and mostly Brad's life.

Love from the bottom of my heart,

Tiffany Bates

Cocktails for Kai

We happily invite you to an evening of friendship and support in honor of Kai, Brad's new diabetic alert dog.

Kai will be delivered to our family on August 28, 2012, and we are so blessed to have the opportunity to begin experiencing the changes he will make in Brad's life.

Sharing our news with you is but a part of the support we are asking you to help us with.  Significant funds are necessary to insure that Kai does remain a family member.  He will definitely be loved and appreciated for the constant assistance he will give to Brad's very brittle Type 1 diabetes.  One means of support will be participation in a silent auction as well as voluntary donations which are all tax deductible.

We hope we can count on you and that you will share with us appetizers and drinks on the evening of Saturday, September 8 at 6:30 at Greenbriar Hills Country Club, 11225 Big Bend Blvd., Kirkwood, Mo. 314-822-3011.

Let us thank you in advance for helping our family, and, of course, mostly Brad, to achieve what will become a new and wonderful way of life.

Please RSVP to 314-402-5248 by August 31 and we look forward to an evening of warmth and inspiration because, until there is a cure, there is a dog!

The Bradley Bates Family