Our Mission

Our mission is to educate people about the availability and efficacy of Diabetic Alert Dogs, the life changing impact they can have on daily life and independence, and to raise funds in order to offer financial assistance and placement of service dogs with approved clients.

Diabetic Alert Dogs are very expensive and insurance unfortunately does not cover the cost. This creates a financial obstacle that many diabetics can’t overcome. The Ron and Vicki Santo Foundation strives to assist diabetics by training and placing diabetic alert dogs to assist with mitigating the challenges associated with diabetes. Applications for a diabetic alert dog are currently being accepted.

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Highlights from the foundation’s founder

Vicki Santo

Come along as Vicki shares her and Ron’s "How and Why for Career Day, and learn about Brennan and Logan!

A Message from Vicki Santo

Living with diabetes is extremely challenging, not only for the diabetic, but also for their family and friends. Friends, school teachers, sport team members must all be aware of the challenges and ways to assist when medical or emotional intervention is required.

I personally met these challenges for 30 years of marriage to Ron. I would always worry when blood sugars would go very high or drop too quickly for changes to register quick enough on the glucometer. Long term complications develop when the sugars are out of normal range, so maintaining a normal range was always of importance.

In 2014, after Ron passed away, I founded the Ron and Vicki Santo Diabetic Alert Dog Foundation. I had the desire to carry on Ron’s passion for assisting other diabetics with ways to manage their diabetes. The Ron and Vicki Santo Diabetic Alert Dog Foundation raises money and provides diabetic alert dogs to diabetics who are in medical and ﬁnancial need. A trained alert dog is costly and can take one to two years of training. The Foundation works very hard to raise funds through fundraisers and donations for the purchase, training, and placement of these magnificent and life changing dogs. The selected family receiving one of the foundation’s trained service dog participates minimally in the cost of the dog.

There are many tools in a diabetic’s toolkit to manage diabetes such as the insulin pump, a continuous glucose monitor, and glucometer. The diabetic alert dog is another tool to provide assurance for the entire family that sugars are being kept in range because DOGS DON’T LIE!

I look forward to helping as many diabetics and families possible.

~ Vicki Santo

Who was Ron Santo?

Ron Santo was born in February of 1940 and was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes when he was 18 just as his professional baseball career was starting. The average life expectancy for a juvenile diabetic at the time was roughly 25 years. Ron kept his diagnoses a secret, fearing it would end his baseball career. Playing as a diabetic in American Major League Baseball was unheard of at the time. He played for the Chicago Cubs from 1960 to 1973 and for the Chicago White Sox in 1974. He went on to became a member of the Cubs broadcasting team providing commentary for Cubs games.

Ron researched the disease and ways to fight it with the desire to be successful enough to keep playing. He began taking insulin shots and learned to control his blood sugar. He would eat candy bars or drink orange juice to control his blood sugar during games. It was not a perfect system, but it worked at the time. Once he went up to the plate with the bases loaded and began seeing three of everything. He decided to swing for the middle pitch, and ended up hitting a grand slam!

Ron was a nine-time all-star and a five-time Gold Glove winner. He has a plaque at the hall of fame that lists his greatest accomplishments in baseball. His plaque reads, “His courageous fight with diabetes during and after his career served as an inspiration to millions.”

He made it his life’s mission to help to raise money to assist with finding a cure for juvenile diabetes. He helped raise over $65 million for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. In 2002, he was named the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's "Person of the Year."

Click to Watch the full verson of: The Remarkable Life of Ron Santo

Marquee Sports Network has announced the premiere of The Remarkable Life of Ron Santo, an hour-long documentary produced by MLB Network looking back on the life and career of the Hall of Famer. (Video is an hour long. It has black screen pauses, keep watching!)