Four-year-old Charlee Lacey wants more “hero patches,” and her mother is on a mission to collect as many as she can from around the world.
Charlee has been through more in four years than many people endure in a lifetime. That’s why she’s so eager to add the patches of law-enforcement officers, firefighters and first responders to her growing collection.
“Charlee recognizes first responders,” her mother, Stephaney, told Cowboy State Daily. “She will point to them and say, ‘They saved mine and my mommy’s life.’ She’s asked for more ‘hero patches,’ and she would love to continue adding to her collection.”
Rough From The Start
Charlee’s short life has been an inspiring story of survival. According to Stephaney, her daughter was the result of “eight years of struggle” to start a family with her husband, Brian.
“I went into labor with Charlee at just 24 weeks,” she said. “We were life-flighted to the University of Utah Hospital.”
The doctors “guaranteed” Stephaney and Brian that their baby would be born alive, but “nothing beyond that.” Their hearts were shattered.
“We were expected to say goodbye to our little girl before we got to say hello,” Stephaney said.
The doctors managed to stop Lacey’s labor. Charlee was born at 39 weeks and 3 days, but her struggle was far from over.
“She was incredibly sick as a baby,” Stephaney said. “She would scream from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., and vomited pretty much every time she ate. She spent her first Christmas at Primary Children’s Hospital because she would stop breathing to the point where she would turn blue.”
An ear, nose and throat specialist soon diagnosed Charlee with laryngomalacia, or extra skin on her larynx, which was collapsing on itself and slowly suffocating her. That explained her serious breathing issues.
The cause of Charlee’s sickness was the formula she had been given. That was a hard blow for Stephaney, as she hadn’t been able to breastfeed her infant.
“I suffered from severe Postpartum Depression, and the medication that I was prescribed was not safe for breastfeeding,” she said. “Being able to give my baby the love and care she deserved was a struggle.”
When Charlee was 2, her grandfather, Anthony Wackler, passed away from renal failure. Lacey said her daughter and father were “two peas in a pod” until his sudden death.
In June 2025, Stephaney had an ischemic stroke while driving, resulting in a car accident. Charlee was in the vehicle with her, but neither mother nor daughter was seriously injured.
In September 2025, Stephaney needed emergency surgery after doctors discovered that gallstones were causing some of her organs to shut down. Charlee was right by her side as she recovered.
“The ICU in Colorado had to bend the rules to allow Charlee in there to prevent me from leaving,” Stephaney said. “My little girl and I have always been inseparable.”
Then came a tragedy that all families dread.
“Mom’s Baby Ran Away”
In September 2025, the Laceys learned they were expecting another baby. Stephaney said Charlee was “over the moon” about becoming a big sister.
Two months later, Frankie Lynn Lacey died in utero. The Laceys brought their daughter home “in an urn that fit in our palm.”
Charlee, only 4 and autistic, blamed herself.
“She told us she was mean to the baby and the baby ran away,” Lacey said. “It destroyed me when another little boy at the library asked her if her mom was pregnant, and she told him, ‘No, my mom’s baby ran away.’
Stephaney and Brian constantly reassure Charlee that she did nothing wrong, hoping to soothe her grief as they grapple with their own.
“As much as I wanted to blame myself, how could I convince my innocent little girl that she did nothing wrong if I couldn’t even tell myself that I did nothing wrong? Sometimes these things happen, and nobody knows why,” Stephaney said.
Despite all she’s been through, Stephaney says her daughter “has the brightest outlook on life” and “everyone she hasn’t met is a friend.”
That’s where patches have helped stitch together the emotional threads of tragedy and loss.
The Joy Of Something Simple
Charlee’s patch-collecting journey started with a visit to the Rock Springs Police Department in June 2024. Chief Bill Erspaumer gave Charlee and her 15-year-old cousin, Mario Tuck, patches as they were leaving.
“They have cherished those patches and memories since that day,” Stephaney said. “Something as simple as a patch brought so much joy to my little girl.”
When Deputy Casey Watkins with the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office learned how much Charlee loved her patch from the Rock Springs Police Department, he personally delivered one of his patches to her.
Charlee knows what she wants, as any discerning collector should. She specifically asks for patches from first responders, recognizing how they’ve saved her and her family’s lives in the past.
“First-responder patches are her favorites because she sees them as superheroes,” she said. “She points to them as says how they took us on an airplane, so she wasn’t born too early (and) they helped when mommy was sick.”
The scope of Charlee’s collection suddenly expanded when she received two new patches from Mike Conners and Caleb Proctor with the Clinton Police Department in Maine.
When Stephaney started sharing Charlee’s patch-collecting journey on social media, more patches arrived.
Steven Michael with the Wyoming Highway Patrol showed up to give Charlee one of his patches, along with a few he picked up from the New York Police Department and New York Highway Patrol.
Earlier this week, Charlee received a letter from “Matt,” who sent her an assortment of unique patches from North Dakota, Alaska and Hawaii.
“One of the Hawaii Life Flight patches is very special, and not many people have (it),” Matt wrote. “(One patch) is in remembrance of three of our fallen heroes. Please take good care of them, and best wishes and luck to you.”
Stephaney continues to spread the word, hoping to find more patches for Charlee. She affectionately calls them “Charlee’s patch buddies.”
“We're looking for patches from all over the world,” she said. “We've had quite a few replies, and some people have sent photos of patches they’re going to send her. The hunt keeps getting more exciting.”
Patching Things Up
Stephaney knows Charlee is trying to comprehend everything that’s happened in her short life. She’s not old enough to fully grasp it, but she recognizes the people who’ve helped her when she needed it.
“We are a close family with nothing but love to give and appreciation for the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect ours,” she said. “Some people collect knives and coffee cups, but my little girl took an interest in first-responder patches.”
More than anything, Stephaney feels her daughter’s growing patch collection has helped her overcome the pain and grief that she still feels but can't understand. It’s given her something to enjoy amid a life of struggle and survival.
“We hope to bless our Charlee girl in the future with a sibling,” Stephaney said. “If it doesn’t happen, at least we have our Charlee in our arms, and our Frankie watching over all of us.”
Anyone with patches they’d like to contribute to Charlee’s collection can deliver them to this address:
Charlee Lacey
443 Valley View Lane #36
Rock Springs, WY. 82901
“Everything Charlee receives will be loved and taken care of,” Stephaney said. “I promise.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
