ELKHORN, Neb. (KMTV) — Christopher Thiessen is a standout baseball player for Elkhorn North. He also has Type I diabetes. His service dog, Buddy, helps him monitor his blood sugar on and off the field.
- Video shows Christopher at baseball practice, Buddy in the dugout and photos of them throughout Christopher's childhood.
- He also wears a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to keep track of his blood sugar, though he says Buddy is faster at detecting rapid changes.
- Christopher is set to play baseball at Missouri Western after he graduates this spring.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
“We went to the doctor and they said ‘your kid has Type I diabetes,'" Elkhorn North baseball senior Christopher Thiessen said.
A day that changed the Thiessen family forever.
“August 9, 2010," Jac Thiessen, Christopher's father, said. "Eight-nine-ten.”
Christopher, just four years old.
“We knew that he just loved sports and played all the time," Christopher's mother, Sugar Thiessen, said, "so when he was diagnosed, it was frightening because we thought ‘oh no, this little boy who loves to play so much… how is his life going to change?’”
Diabetes requires constant blood sugar monitoring.
When Christopher was around 10, they heard about diabetes alert dogs, which monitor a person's glucose levels and let them know when they're too high or too low.
“In some ways, we didn’t take him too serious… until he raised the first 10 percent on his own," Jac said. "He was doing everything he could. Christmas money, birthday money. He had a lemonade stand out in front of the house."
After raising thousands of dollars with the help of a GoFundMe, Buddy joined the family.
“Wherever we go, he goes," Jac said. "He’s been on each coast, he’s been in the ocean on both sides, been in the Gulf of Mexico. He’s flown in airplanes, rides in cars. You name it, he’s been there.”
Christopher also wears a continuous glucose monitor, but he says Buddy is about 15 minutes faster at picking up on rapid blood sugar changes, even from a distance.
"If I’m not by him, like if he’s in the dugout, he’ll probably start barking," Christopher said. " I usually know if nothing’s happening and he starts barking, something’s up.
"But if I’m right next to him, he’ll start bumping my hand or jump on me or he’ll get my attention."
To Christopher, Buddy is more than just his service dog.
“It’s been the best friendship I’ve ever had," he said. "He’s always been there, never left me. Through the walkoffs, through the two state championships, he’s been the first person I talk to after the games.
“He’s another guy on the team.”
"Buddy’s just been a sort of fixture in everything, everywhere he goes," Elkhorn North baseball coach Anthony Dunn said. “Probably the biggest thing is… when we break it down, Buddy’s all energetic with us.”
Though diabetes can be scary at times, Christopher has learned to thrive with it.
“As I’ve grown up, the biggest thing I’ve known is being Type I diabetic doesn’t stop me from doing anything," he said.
"Obviously I can go play football, baseball, basketball, nothing stops me at all.”
“I wish that I had as much courage as he does," Sugar said. "He doesn’t let it stop him. He doesn’t let it identify him. He has a dog, he’s the boy with the dog. But it’s not his identity, it’s not who he is.”
Note: The Thiessens have not yet decided if Buddy will be attending Missouri Western with Christopher.
