Pets bring a special kind of love and joy to any family, but for families like Lincoln’s, they mean something extra special—especially when they come from The Stink Bug Project.
Lincoln is a remarkable child who has been living his entire life with Dravet Syndrome, a condition that causes seizures and learning delays. From his first seizure at three months old to now, Lincoln and his parents, Traci and Brian, have navigated an array of PICU stays, nocturnal seizures, and clinical trials.
Living with a chronic health condition can be lonely for anyone, and that is incredibly true for Lincoln. He is an only child and doesn’t socialize in the same way as most children his age, so it can be hard to connect with other kids.
But he has always connected with dogs.
When their beloved family dog passed away, Traci and Brian knew their next dog would be Lincoln’s. As they were looking at options, Traci learned about the Stink Bug Project, one of our programs at Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation, and knew it would be a perfect fit for their family.
“Before we found the Stink Bug Project, there was this empty feeling in our home,” said Traci. “We were ready for Lincoln to have a companion.”
Around that same time, our programs team had just learned about a dog in the Colorado Correctional Industries (CCI) K9 training program who would make a perfect Stink Bug dog. We knew from Traci’s application that Lincoln would want a dog that could play fetch, so the program director at CCI worked with the trainer to ensure this little dog could do it. When the family finally met the pup, they immediately fell in love, named her Coco, and a new friendship was born.
“When we brought her home, Lincoln asked, ‘Will Coco stay?’ and I said, yes! She is going to stay forever,” said Traci. “She is such a great dog. From the start, she’s been there for Lincoln.”
Coco has been by Lincoln’s side during some of the most challenging moments in his treatment. Lincoln goes to various therapies four times a week, and he doesn’t get much time to play with friends. But Coco is always there when he needs a buddy, and it makes a world of difference.
Traci says, “He is much calmer with her there. We go out and play fetch and take lots of walks. Just having her around has brought so much happiness and joy to his life.”
We’re able to make connections like Lincoln and Coco’s happen because of the incredible generosity of donors who support The Stink Bug Project—and the gratitude from families like Lincoln’s is boundless. In honor of Kids and Pets Day this year, let’s see how many more matches we can make happen together! As Traci herself says, “This is a great way to use your money to change a child’s life.”