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SAND LAKE, Mich. — A five-year-old boy with diabetes is selling pumpkins to raise money for a service dog.

According to First Coast News, Ian Unger, a kindergarten student, has Type 1 Diabetes and needs to constantly monitor his blood sugar levels and insulin pump.

Unger’s mother Katrina Christensen told the news outlet that a nurse for the school district said Ian couldn’t ride the bus without an aide. She said Ian was devastated, so he decided he wanted to get a diabetic alert dog to accompany him on the school bus.

“A service dog for a diabetic alerts the person to their blood sugars about 45 minutes before your blood sugar will show up on the meter,” Christensen told First Coast News.

Christensen and Unger reportedly began growing pumpkins at their Michigan home to raise money for the service dog.

Christensen posted about the project on Facebook and it was shared hundreds of times.

According to First Coast News, the family sold almost 150 pumpkins on Friday and they actually ran out of pumpkins.

“We ran out, and we’ve had some people donate some pumpkins…and we bought some, too,” Christensen told the news outlet, “I was in tears all day with all these people coming, and just the love they are showing to him is amazing.”

Christensen and Unger explained that there is a waiting list for diabetic alert dogs. She said, according to First Coast News, the family has already raised a few hundred dollars but is continuing to raise funds on Facebook.

The diabetic alert dog will reportedly cost around $25,000.

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