First Grader's Charity Helps Transplant Families

Lincoln Stanger was just four years old, playing in the snow one day, when his world changed overnight.

What seemed like pneumonia turned out to be dilated cardiomyopathy, a serious heart condition. Within 24 hours, doctors told his parents he needed a new heart.

Lincoln spent 320 days at Boston Children's Hospital attached to a device that did the work of his heart outside his body. His mom Ashley, a nurse, stayed by his side while his dad drove back and forth to Connecticut with their younger daughter, Hailey.

After ten months of waiting, Lincoln received his transplant in March 2025. But instead of simply moving on, the Stanger family turned their experience into action.

They launched the Love from Lincoln, Hope from Hailey Foundation to support other families navigating the same difficult journey. The foundation gives each family a one-time financial grant plus continued emotional and practical support.

In just a year and a half, they've already helped more than a dozen families. Ashley says they vowed during their hospital stay to give back the same support they received.

Sunny's Take

Today, Lincoln is thriving as a first grader in East Haddam, Connecticut. He recently lost his first tooth and excitedly explained to reporters how the tooth fairy works.

The family stays closely connected to their journey. Everything they do with Lincoln honors the organ donor who saved his life and the family who made that choice.

Ashley's message to other families facing medical crises is simple but powerful: take what happened and do something meaningful with it. The Stangers faced something terrible, but now Lincoln is doing great and life goes on.

The foundation holds regular fundraisers, including an upcoming dinner at the River House in Haddam, to continue supporting families who are waiting for their own miracles.