WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. — Some who find their craft are influenced.
"My grandma taught me how to paint," said 27-year-old Ali Lazik of Williamsville. "She got me into oil painting when I was in elementary school actually."
But that craft turned into something Lazik never expected when she turned 12.
"Once I got diagnosed with diabetes, it was definitely an outlet," Lazik said.
When she was 21, Lazik had to stop painting temporarily because even touching a brush would sting.
"There was no redness or anything. It was just it hurt for my t-shirt to touch my skin. It was excruciating," Lazik said.
Lazik found out she had neuropathy that causes pain in her nerves. It's gotten better since then, but one side effect is dizziness.
She will soon get a little help with that and her diabetes from a 9-month-old golden retriever named Ezra.
Unlike her insulin pump and glucose monitor, which have both failed before, Ezra is being trained at the Diabetic Alert Dogs of America with the hope of a better support system.
"He'll nose boot me if my blood sugar gets to low or too high. He smells the chemical change before it happens," Lazik said. "Or if I faint, he'll bark and get help."
Lazik will meet Ezra in Las Vegas when he is done with his training, but right now she's only raised $11,000 of the $18,000 needed to keep him through fundraisers and a GoFundMe.
She's hoping Western New York can help her reach that goal by then.
"Oh, I'll definitely cry. I cry looking at videos of him now just thinking about how amazing and what a relief it's going to be to have him with me at all times. A life partner and sidekick, but really a hero to me," Lazik said.
A hero who will keep her healthy and allow her to continue pursuing her craft.
You can donate to Lazik here.