17 year-old Harrison is a musical theatre student. He has asthma and type 1 diabetes, both of which ruled his life for over a decade. Not any more. Enter Bounce, a black three-year-old Labrador.

Harrison and Bounce first met a year ago at the Medical Detection Dogs headquarters. The charity felt that Harrison and Bounce would be well suited and they were right; four months after their first meeting, Bounce went to live with Harrison full-time. 
Bounce gave Harrison his confidence back and has made him feel the most alive he has felt in a long time. He says, “Bounce is my best friend and he has given me my life back.”

Up until he was seven Harrison was a healthy little boy, but then a heavy cold resulted in a serious asthma attack. He was admitted to hospital and was put on an oral steroid to help his breathing.

A week later Harrison’s mum noticed he was drinking more than normal and he had to go the toilet more frequently; he had also lost a lot of weight. She took him to see a doctor who did a finger prick test. Harrison’s blood sugars were high – 30 mmols instead of the normal 4 to 6.5 mmols – and he was rushed to hospital with undiagnosed type 1 diabetes.

Further hospital admissions followed and Harrison had to take up to ten lots of asthma medication daily. The medications affected his blood sugars, which meant they were difficult to control.

In the spring of 2015 it was decided that Harrison should take a daily oral steroid. His blood sugars became impossible to control as a result and in May 2015 he had a seizure when his blood sugars dropped to 1.5 mmols. He had a further three seizures over the next couple of months, and despite being issued with a funded continuous glucose monitor and pump that had the ability to suspend itself when his blood sugars dropped, he was still experiencing severe hypos with no symptoms.

Not surprisingly the unpredictability in his blood sugars and resulting seizures dented Harrison’s confidence. He hated his peers at school seeing him have seizures and so he kept himself to himself and sadly he was bullied.

Now Harrison’s at college and Bounce accompanies him every day. When he’s not working Bounce loves to go to the park and is an expert at finding dirty muddy puddles to roll around in! The pair have formed a strong bond of trust.

Harrison’s mum, Stephanie, says that for the first time since Harrison’s diagnosis she doesn’t have to check his blood sugars during the night; she can go to sleep without fear. She can leave Harrison knowing that Bounce will alert him to changes in his blood sugars. “I can’t imagine life without Bounce in it; it is louder, funnier and more chaotic, but mostly it is safer.”