Lori Murphy arrived at the Tobey Hospital emergency room with her 18-month-old son, Bryce. His cheeks were red. He was drinking a lot. All she knew was something was wrong.

It was spring of 2010. Murphy was alone. Her husband, Sean, is in the U.S. Navy and had just been sent to Philadelphia.

"Bryce's cheeks were so bright red," Murphy remembered. "He just kept drinking."

Doctors soon discovered that Bryce's blood sugar level was a whopping 1,019. A normal level for Bryce was 80 to 110.

Tobey Hospital immediately sent Bryce to Boston Children's Hospital. Sean Murphy was notified and flown back to Massachusetts.

In the five days the Wareham natives spent at Children's, they learned that Bryce's pancreas doesn't produce insulin at all, meaning the glucose that his body was getting from food was not being converted into energy that his cells could use. Instead, it was building up in his blood stream. Bryce was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

With testing and insulin, the doctors were "teaching us how to keep our son alive," Murphy said.

There was nothing the family could have done differently to prevent the disease. And frustrating for the parents is the fact that there isn't much of a history of diabetes at all in their families.

"I knew nothing about diabetes before this," Murphy said.

Now an active three-year-old, Bryce needs insulin injections three times per day on most days. His parents must check his levels 16 times per day, however — even through the night.

Murphy smiled weakly before pointing out that when Bryce and his older sister, Ellasyn, were younger, she couldn't take them into the exam room at the doctor's office to get their shots. She'd ask her husband or mother to do it.

"I hated shots," she said. "Now I have to give [Bryce] shots three times a day to keep him alive."

Diabetes has changed everything for the Murphys.

Alarms on the parents' cell phones wake them up at certain intervals — some minutes apart — throughout the night so Bryce's levels can be checked.

The first morning after her husband returned to work in 2009, Murphy woke to find Bryce's blood sugar frighteningly low.

"I'm walking around in constant fear," Murphy said. "As a mother, I don't sleep."

If Bryce eats, he needs insulin. If he's having a particularly active day, Murphy has to make sure his blood sugar doesn't slip too low.

"I have to follow him around with a juice box or gummies," she said.

Before the family can ever leave the house, Murphy has to make sure she has enough supplies in case Bryce's blood sugar drops or spikes. She packs glucose tabs, insulin, and snacks.

"I laugh all the time... I'm like a walking vending machine," Murphy said. "Appreciate your pancreas. That's all I can say. You don't know what it's doing for you."

Bryce will be four years old in September, but already Murphy is concerned about the quality of life he will have.

"I want him to live a healthy, normal life," Murphy said. "I don't want Bryce to be 15 [years old] and feel like he'll never be independent."

When Murphy discovered Virginia-based Guardian Angel Service Dogs, which specializes in training alert dogs for diabetics, she knew a service dog would change the family's life for the better.

Headed by Dan Warren, who suffers from type 1 diabetes and trained service dogs in the U.S. Marine Corps, Guardian Angel dogs complete an 8-phase training program where they learn to understand human scent and thus can detect whether a person has high or low blood sugar — sometimes 20 to 45 minutes before a spike or drop occurs, Warren explained.

Murphy noted that when a person's blood sugar is high, he or she emits a sweet smell that is often undetected by humans — but dogs can smell it. When a diabetic's blood sugar is low, the body releases a smell of acetone.

"We custom-tailor the program for each individual's severity, age, [and] geographic location," among other variables, Warren said.

The dogs are also trained to fetch glucose tablets, insulin supplies, and other essentials for diabetics.

Bryce is currently on the organization's waiting list, and Warren says he hopes a dog will be available in the coming months.

A trainer will visit Murphy's home every week after for a period after the pup is placed, and then every 90 days for a two-year period until the pup is fully trained. A trainer will then return every two years to help the dog become re-certified for public access.

"This dog is going to benefit our entire family," said Murphy, who noted that Bryce has already named the pup "Scout."

Murphy is now particularly grateful to be on the waiting list, as shortly after the family was placed on the list, Bryce was diagnosed with a hyperactive thyroid and celiac disease, meaning his diet will need to change, which will affect the monitoring of his blood sugar.

Now, Murphy is hoping to raise $20,000 for the nonprofit to help pay for the dog, though Warren noted that that number "is a goal. ... We are not a financial burden on any family whatsoever."

The family recently received help in its endeavor from the Wareham Elks Lodge, which donated $2,000.

Murphy said she was grateful for the Elks' generosity, and the Elks said they were happy to help.

"We decided this was a tremendous opportunity to help a family out," said Robert Hurley, exalted ruler of the Wareham Elks.

And the fundraising continues.

"If $20,000 could save your son's kidneys, or his life..." Murphy said, trailing off before adding: "The dogs are called 'guardian angels,' and I really feel that's what it is."

If you would like to help the Murphys, visit www.guardianangelservicedogs.org and click "donate." The organization will contact you to ask for whom the donation should be earmarked.

To learn more about Bryce, visit www.facebook.com/DiabeticAlertDogForOurBryce.