wife, mom of four, and a passionate advocate for children living with Type 1 Diabetes. I’m 31 years old and live in Raleigh, North Carolina with my husband of 12 years and our lively crew of kids—Wells, our youngest, was diagnosed with T1D at just 3 years old.
His diagnosis changed everything. Our days became filled with numbers, needles, sleepless nights, and a constant undercurrent of worry. But in the middle of that storm, we found light in the form of Ducky—Wells’ diabetic alert dog and constant companion. Ducky gave our son freedom and safety, and gave us, as his parents, a chance to breathe again.
Since then, I’ve shared our journey on social media, building a community focused on awareness, education, and connection. Through platforms like TikTok and Instagram, I’ve been able to reach thousands of other parents and caregivers walking this same road. Their strength, stories, and resilience inspire me every single day to keep doing this work.
I took part in founding Special Spaniels for Kids so that more families could experience the life-changing gift of a service dog without the heavy financial burden. Because every child with Type 1 Diabetes deserves a hero by their side—and every parent deserves to know they’re not alone.
"Hi! I'm Aubrie Lewis..."
"Hi y'all! I'm Ashley Murphy..."
the mama and pancreas to Myles and the handler for his diabetic alert dog Double. That’s what most people in the online community know me as, but I’m also the mama to 4 older siblings to Myles and wife to Cliff.
Our world was turned upside down when Myles was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at only 10 months old. The words I will never forget from our ER nurse that morning: “Let’s just be glad your baby woke up today”. Not only did Myles have undiagnosed type 1 diabetes, but his little body was in diabetic ketoacidosis and shutting down. Life quickly became very scary and so few even understood. Finding others with type 1 diabetic babies was hard and I promised myself I would share our story and raise awareness once I got a grip on our new reality.
I also decided pretty quickly that a diabetic alert dog would be another great layer of protection for Myles since he obviously wouldn’t be able to communicate what he was feeling for quite some time. Our service dog journey was long, emotional, and extremely expensive with 2 failed dogs before finding the amazing non-profit M.D. Dogs. Four and a half years later, here we are with our amazing diabetic alert dog Double keeping our boy safe and regularly beating his Dexcom CGM by 15-30 minutes.
So many helped us along the way and it’s been my dream to pass that gift on to others with the same need and desire for a diabetic alert dog. This dream has become a reality and it is my honor to be a founding member of Special Spaniels for Kids to pass on the gift of an incredibly trained M.D. Dogs diabetic alert dog.
"Hi! I'm Janelle Mitchell..."
I'm a wife, mom, photographer, and now, a founder of Special Spaniels for Kids. i'm 28 years old and I live in Raleigh, NC with my husband and our two children. Our life took a drastic turn when our oldest, Paxton, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes just after his third birthday. He’s now six, and every day since that diagnosis has been a whirlwind of learning, adjusting, and advocating.
Becoming a “pancreas” overnight is something no parent can ever truly prepare for. Type 1 is relentless—it doesn’t sleep, it doesn’t pause, and it doesn’t take days off. Navigating this disease is full of overwhelming information, constant fear, sleepless nights, and a steep learning curve of how to keep our son alive and thriving with a disease that changes moment by moment.
In the midst of managing blood sugar numbers, learning carb counts, and carrying emergency supplies everywhere we go, I quickly realized that I wasn’t alone. So many other parents were walking this same road, silently struggling. That’s what inspired me to start creating content to spread awareness and educate others about Type 1 Diabetes. It’s become my mission to give families like ours support, visibility, and hope.
We’re currently on the waitlist for a diabetic alert dog through M.D. Dogs—something we believe will bring a huge sense of safety and independence to our son. Out of this journey came the heart behind Special Spaniels for Kids: an organization created to help other families afford diabetic alert dogs, which are often a critical yet financially unreachable resource. I want to be a voice for families navigating this diagnosis, to offer encouragement and tangible help, and to create a space where no one feels like they have to do it alone. This nonprofit is for the kids, the parents, and the spaniels making life just a little bit easier—and a whole lot safer.
