6-year-old with severe seizures needs community’s help funding service dog

A 6-year-old girl with severe seizures from Moore is in need of a service dog, her parents told News 9 on Thursday. 

Lynden Massingill is a bright, bubbly and playful six-year-old who loves sparkles, mermaids and Minecraft. In the past six months, her parents said she has started to develop an awareness that she is a little different. 

"We noticed when she was about three years old, she started to stop talking mid-sentence, and then she would just pick up after about a minute, right where she left off,” said Robbie Massingill, Lynden’s mother. 

Doctors diagnosed Lynden with focal epilepsy with complex partial seizures when she was four years old. Her condition has since progressed, and now she can have anywhere from zero to 10 seizures a day, her dad Zach explained. 

Lynden’s parents said she has seizures at home, at school, on the playground and while she’s sleeping. 

"At night, if she does have a seizure, she thinks they're bad dreams. So, she'll wake up multiple times at night complaining of bad dreams,” Robbie said. 

Her mom added that coming out of a seizure can be confusing and scary for Lynden. 

Robbie and her husband Zach shared that they envision a future where Lynden has the independence and self-confidence to navigate the world like any other child—something that could be made possible with the help of a service dog. 

"Those alert dogs can be trained to pick up on the sense of an impending seizure. So, [the dog] would be able to tell her to sit down or get off the playground equipment. Then, during an active seizure, they can be taught to keep her safe by making sure her head's protected,” Robbie described. 

She added that a service dog can also provide comfort after a seizure, allow Lynden to sleep in her own room, take a bath by herself, and even have slumber parties with friends. 

"By the time a dog gets trained, she'll be seven-and-a-half to eight years old, and she's going to want to have more of that independence than she even already wants now," said Robbie. 

If you’d like to donate to Lynden’s GoFundMe, click here.