Life has had no shortage of challenges for nine-year-old Hanora. When Hanora was born, she spent three and a half months in the NICU. She was diagnosed with inverted duplication and deletion of 8P, a rare chromosomal anomaly that causes significant developmental challenges. Nine years later, these challenges still make day-to-day life difficult for Hanora and her family.
“We deal with a lot with Hanora,” Erica said. “It’s been a long nine years, and it can be really tough and stressful.”
Her mom, Erica, is her full-time caregiver and sees how much stress Hanora experiences in everyday life. Hanora’s condition comes with significant developmental challenges, and when things get overwhelming for her, she still has tantrums similar to kids a third her age. Erica knew that in these tough moments, Hanora needed something to distract her and give her a little extra love.
That’s when they started looking into adopting a dog for Hanora—a furry friend who could give her unconditional love and support. But finding the right fit for their family would prove to be more challenging. Between therapies and the everyday needs of their child, finding time to train a new dog can be especially hard for families whose child has special needs. Erica knew they wanted a dog—they just needed to find the right one.
They confided in a family friend whose daughter underwent cancer treatment years ago and found the perfect solution. While their child was in treatment, they adopted a dog through the Stink Bug Project, a program of Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation that matches dogs trained by the Colorado Correction Industries K9 training program with children facing a medical diagnosis. Their family friends were one of the first Stink Bug matches, and all these years later, they helped open the doors for a major milestone: a dog named Dolli became the 150th Stink Bug dog—and Hanora’s new best friend.
“My husband went to pick up Dolli and brought her home, and Hanora just beamed from ear to ear,” said Erica, “She had this look of instantaneous love for Dolli. Hanora knew this was her dog.”
For families like Hanora’s, having a distraction when things get tough can make a huge difference. Since adopting Dolli, Erica shared that Hanora’s tantrums have decreased by as much as 50%. “Just the other day, she was having a temper tantrum, and I called Dolli’s name, and she came into the room.” Erica said, “Hanora immediately stopped having her tantrum and just smiled at Dolli.” Having a way to cut the tantrums off has been a huge game-changer for the whole family.
Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation is all about helping relieve the everyday stressors for families like Hanora’s. 150 Stink Bug dogs is a huge milestone because it means 150 families have found relief and comfort through the love of a furry friend.
“[Having Dolli], it’s just joy upon joy for Hanora, and that brings me joy,” Erica says.
This milestone is made possible by our incredible community of support. You can help us continue this work by making a gift to support RMCHF’s programs.
For families like Hanora’s, even the smallest gifts can bring the greatest joy.