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May 2022 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 1
& M AY 2022
EARLY ALERT CANINES TRAINS DOGS FOR LEADING ROLES IN REAL LIFE DRAMAS
By Jody Morgan
Early Alert Canines (EAC) improves the health, safety, and wellbeing of insulin-dependent children and adults with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) by providing them with canine partners trained to detect trending changes in blood-sugar levels long before an episode becomes life-threatening. The Concord-based non-profit teams about half their canine trainees with diabetic children and their families as Skilled Companion Dogs and the others with adults as Full-Access Service Dogs. Asked by the California Department of Public Health to serve as training partner in a pilot program, EAC currently has two dogs successfully proving their ability to swiftly and accurately identify students infected with COVID-19 in trials at local schools. Carol Edwards founded EAC in 2010 in response to a growing demand for Diabetic Alert Dogs and the unmet need of families w it h you ng d i ab e t i c children. “As a parent,” Carol says, “I knew how hard it was to get up with an infant every night for a few months. I couldn’t imagine how difficult Liz Johnston loves working with the exceptionally trainable it was for parents with EAC dogs. Photo by Zella Urmson Photography. children coping with Type 1 Diabetes to have to wake up every night every two hours for a decade or more to monitor unexpected blood sugar changes that might result in the dreaded ‘dead in bed syndrome.’” JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) explains: “For children and their families, a diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes can be devastating. Without warning, a healthy child can develop this life-threatening disease that will need to be managed every minute of every hour of every day -- for the rest of their life.” The organ-specific autoimmune disease destroys the body’s insulin-producing cells. T1D is neither preventable nor curable. One heart-warming account on EAC’s website describes EAC Blue’s positive impact on the lives of Eva, diagnosed with T1D at age two, and her family. Eva’s mother recalls how isolating even a trip to the store could be before Blue. “The
See Canines continued on page 15
Local Postal Customer
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit 263 Alamo CA
ECRWSS
Coraline and Gingerbread
COME TO THE COUNTY FAIR!
MAY 12TH-15TH
Twelve youth from the local Contra Costa 4H program will be showcasing and selling livestock at the upcoming Contra Costa County Fair. The kids have spent countless hours learning about and raising their animals. Their projects include two hogs, five sheep, seven goats, several rabbits and a number of chickens. Anyone interested in learning more about
See Fair continued on page 12
A PRECIOUS GEM IN OUR VALLEY
By Lyn Arscott
San Ramon Creek is one of the precious gems of our valley. It provided essential water for survival for the indigenous people and early immigrants. In 1772, Captain Pedro Fages and Franciscan Padre Juan Crespi trekked from Walnut Creek through the San Ramon Valley and noted that the valley was home to numerous gentle and peaceful indigenous people and seemed to be “a charming site for settlement with much water.” Since the early nineLyn Arscott and Tod Rubin (two members teenth century, ranchers raised cattle of the Friends of San Ramon Creek) in the field with measuring equipment.
The Editors Serving the communities of Alamo, Diablo, and Danville
Volume XXII Number 5
See Gem cont. on page 18 3000F Danville Blvd. #117 Alamo, CA 94507 Telephone (925) 405-6397 Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher Editor@yourmonthlypaper.com
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Volume XIII Number 5
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