She had planned to be on the football field this fall, marching with the Winder-Barrow High School band. Everything changed more than two weeks ago when 15-year-old Joslyn Stinchcomb was attacked by two pit bulls.
She’s had five surgeries already and faces more this week. Her classmates have vowed to dedicate the marching season to Joslyn, according to a Facebook message from the band, shared by the teenager’s family.
“Joslyn wanted very much to be a part of the WBHS Bulldogg marching band and SHE IS!” the band said. “Her Marching Dogg family wants her to know that even though she won’t be able to be on the field with us physically this season she will be there with them in their hearts. Her spot will remain open on the field and every member will have #StayStrongJoslyn on the sleeves of our show shirts that we wear for every performance.”
Winder-Barrow football players and cheerleaders will also have #SSJ on their helmets and megaphones, the band said.
“This is amazing!!! Sometimes we forget how great our community is,” a family member posted on a Facebook page dedicated to Joslyn. “But, Winder has truly rallied around us and Joslyn. Thank you!!”
The Barrow County school system started virtual learning on Monday. The varsity football team’s first game is scheduled for Sept. 4.
Meanwhile, Joslyn remains in the hospital instead of beginning her freshman year of high school. The pit bulls that attacked her while she was on a walk grabbed her hair, ripped off her scalp and left ear, and damaged her trachea, her family has said. Lacerations, scrapes and bruises covered her body after the attack, and she faces many more surgeries and rehabilitation, according to her family. She’s still unable to speak due to her injuries.
Joslyn frequently listened to music on walks through her Barrow neighborhood. On the afternoon of July 31, a neighbor heard her screams and called 911.
“By the time we got there, she was fighting for her life,” Sheriff Jud Smith told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after the attack. “By the grace of God, she didn’t pass away.”
Deputies shot one of the dogs so that it would release the teenager. Both pit bulls were later captured and euthanized, Smith said. The dogs were able to escape through a back door that had been left open, the sheriff said.
The pit bulls’ owner, 29-year-old Alexandria Torregrossa, was arrested and charged with reckless conduct. The investigation into the attack remains under investigation, Smith said.
A PayPal account under the hashtag “StayStrongJoslyn” has been created to assist the family with medical costs.
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