NATCHEZ — Sydney Jackson’s career path is one that follows close to her heart and her health.

Jackson was born in New Mexico and reared in Natchez. She’s currently a sophomore biological science student at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.

Jackson said she hopes to go on to medical school to study to become a pediatric endocrinologist, which specializes in diagnosing and treating children with diseases of the endocrine system, including diabetes and growth disorders.

“This is obviously something close to my heart,” Jackson said. “I have just got to make it to med school.”

Jackson was diagnosed with alopecia areata (loss of hair) at the age of 3, Type 1 diabetes at the age of 9 and thyroid disease at the age of 17.

“Being a child for most of the time that I have lived with these diseases,” Jackson said, “I want to help children who face the same battle that I do every day.”

To assist her with her complications, Jackson will soon rely on Phillipe, her 2-year-old service dog, who is being trained to detect when Jackson’s blood sugar is getting too high or too low.

“He will be more accurate than a machine, because he can smell your breath and know if it is too high or if it’s off,” Jackson said, adding that Phillipe could recognize problems 30 minutes faster than any machine.

Phillipe is six months from becoming certified as a service dog, Jackson said, adding that people who see Phillipe with her often want to reach out and pet Phillipe.

In some cases, Jackson said, petting a service dog can potentially put someone’s life at risk, because by petting the dog they are distracting the dog from doing his or her job, which is to alert the owner to medical problems, and in Jackson’s case, when her blood sugar is getting too high or too low.

“He is medical equipment, not something to play with,” Jackson said. “By distracting him you put my life in danger, because he won’t be focused on me and my sugar could drop and I not know it.”

Jackson said service dogs do have down time when they are allowed to be normal dogs and play with other dogs, and Phillipe does get trips to the dog park.

When Phillipe is wearing a vest, however, he is working, Jackson said.

It is important, Jackson said, for people to educate their children about service dogs, because it’s difficult to explain to a child that they cannot pet the dog.

“If my sugar goes too high I can be put in a coma state and if I’m low I could pass out,” Jackson said, “even have a seizure if I’m high enough.”