Posey Made the Hospital a Brighter Place for Sean’s Family

Sean’s courage knows no bounds. Since he was born, he has been bravely fighting through end-stage renal disease, with less than 15% kidney function.

“I think the hardest thing as a mom is that you want to fix things for your kids,” Sean’s mom Jennifer says, “and there’s nothing I can do to fix him.”

Sean is waiting on a kidney transplant, but in the meantime, he spends a lot of time at the hospital. Being away from home for a long time is hard on anyone, but especially a child.

The bright spot along their journey has been Posey, the facility dog at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children. Posey works with the hospital’s Child Life team to make pediatric patients feel safe and loved. For Sean’s family, she made a huge difference in their experience. “We are so grateful to have Posey.” Jennifer says, describing her as providing “an extra blanket of comfort.”

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The family is extremely grateful to have access to programs like PAWS for RMHC that give children the extra support they need while they are in the hospital.

“Thank you for supporting programs like this,” Jennifer says, “it made a huge difference for our family “

Thanks to support from Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation, Posey helps thousands of children have a better hospital experience every year.

 

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When Olivia was in the second grade, her parents received a call from the school. Olivia was sitting alone at recess crying and couldn’t tell them why. As time went on, it became clear that Olivia struggled with social anxiety and depression—and her parents started looking for answers.

Olivia was officially diagnosed with Bipolar II, a condition that causes significant anxiety and depression. As a young teen, this experience is particularly scary.

“I will get agitated,” Olivia said, “When I’m having an anxiety attack, I don’t know if I’ll be okay.”

The family started looking for ways they could support Olivia and looked into the K9 training program at Colorado Correctional Industries. Her parents thought harnessing the magic of a furry friend would help comfort Olivia. Then, they found The Stink Bug Project.

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“They really wanted to make the right match,” Olivia’s dad, Cory, said, “They did. I think we got the best dog of all dogs.”

Thanks in part to supporters like you, we matched the family with Blue, a sweet, fluffy dog that provides Olivia with the unconditional support she needs. Now when Olivia is stressed or scared, she has someone to make her feel safe.

 

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Sarah, a six-year-old with Cri du Chat Syndrome – a rare genetic condition characterized by intellectual disability and delayed development – needed company badly. Her condition has always caused her to be immunocompromised, and with the advent of COVID, she’s become even more isolated. Her family wanted to avoid any activities that would put her at risk, but sometimes, isolation can be almost as traumatizing as illness for a young child. Without siblings or family in Colorado, Sarah needed a companion to get her through these hard times.

“Dogs are in tune with Sarah’s emotions – they celebrate every success, and when Sarah leaves to spend time in the hospital, Oreo cries at the window, waiting for her to come back.”

Sarah began exhibiting harmful behaviors like biting, head banging, and hair pulling. Her behaviors worsened during the pandemic because she couldn’t play with other children her age. That’s when Sarah and her family found Oreo, a golden retriever/pit bull mix. From the first day they met, Sarah was crying from happiness, and Oreo didn’t leave her side. Oreo can accompany her outside, help her with physical therapy, or even cheer Sarah up when she gets home from the hospital.

“Sarah doesn’t like the sun or the heat, and we wanted her to be comfortable outside, being so isolated for the past year. With Oreo, she enjoys walking him, taking him to the park, and enjoying the swings and slides!”

 

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