Benefit Concert to Help 7-Year-Old Lubbock Boy Get Diabetic Alert Dog

Connor Perryman was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when he was only 22 months old. On top of that, he also has three different colon diseases. But a local concert aims to provide the boy with help he desperately needs.

The Sounds of West Texas Benefit Concert to benefit Connor is Saturday night (September 19) at the City Bank Auditorium. The show aims to raise money so Connor can get a diabetic alert dog.

The show begins with an acoustic band at 6 p.m. at City Bank Auditorium.

Connor's mom Vangelia, a single mother who is also going to school, is up no less than four times a night to check on her son, who experiences extreme rises and drops in his blood sugar. Due to his stomach and colon issues, Connor also vomits randomly and suffers from nocturnal incontinence.

The hope for this family comes in the form of a diabetic alert dog named Jaci (prounounced Jackie), who is a little over a year old and has been trained since she was a puppy in Virginia Beach.

Jaci will join Connor and Vangelia in February 2016 after her training is complete. She will sleep with Connor and be able to detect changes in his blood sugar levels. Should he vomit and begin to aspirate, she will be able to turn him over and go wake his mom up to help.

Due to his conditions, Connor also has extreme anxiety. Jaci will help keep him calm with her companionship.

The cost of this type of service dog is $22,000. Generous West Texans have already donated $16,000 , but another $8,000 is needed to cover the costs, which includes transport to Lubbock for Jaci and her owner, as well as accommodations while Jaci gets settled with her new family.

Betty Smith and her husband Keith are the facilitators of the event and said there will be over 24 performers, a silent auction including a signed guitar by the Eli Young Band, an autographed football by Texas Tech Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury and much more. There will also be raffle tickets available for an awesome rifle.

Tickets to the show are just $15 for Adults, $7 for children ages 4-12 and $12 each for groups of 10 of more.

To purchase tickets or for more info, contact Betty Smith at (806) 544-6811 or visit the Sounds of West Texas Facebook page.