The most heartbreaking part of this story is that Jack was not suffering from constipation or anxiety. He was in the middle of a medical emergency: diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition that often develops silently in young people who have undiagnosed type 1 diabetes.

Without insulin, the body begins breaking down fat at a dangerous rate, releasing acids called ketones into the bloodstream. As ketone levels rise, the blood becomes toxic, and life-threatening complications occur. The symptoms Jack displayed — severe pain, rapid breathing, extreme fatigue — were classic signs of this condition.

Jack likely had no idea that he had diabetes. Many teenagers do not. And because no glucose test was performed in the hospital, the truth remained hidden. Tragically, this lack of early detection cost him his life.

The next morning, Jack failed to wake up. When his father entered his bedroom, expecting to check on his progress, he instead found his son unresponsive. The shock and devastation that followed changed the Dunn family forever.

A Preventable Death and a Family Fighting for AwarenessContinue reading…

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