When the Lingk family’s Treeing Walker Coonhound, Marvin, suffered a life-threatening accident, Angie Lingk heard from multiple emergency vets that they would not be able to help him. Luckily, when Angie and Marvin came to the MSU Veterinary Medical Center (VMC), our clinicians were able to stabilize him, clean the wound, and create a treatment plan. The high quality of intensive and compassionate care that Marvin received made an extraordinary impact on Angie, and the experience left her wanting to help veterinary professionals at MSU.
Marvin came to the VMC in the winter of 2021 with a severe soft tissue wound from a fence. He was admitted to the Hospital and stayed for a week while his care team kept him sedated and monitored how his tissue would react to surgery. After his initial discharge, Marvin returned to the Hospital every 3-5 days to get his bandages replaced. “Every single interaction, from the initial consult to our final discharge, showed the empathy that the faculty and staff had for Marvin and our family,” says Angie. “The team let us know what time he was going in for treatment and called us right away after to inform us how he was doing. That level of interaction was so critical, and we cannot thank them enough for their thoughtfulness.”
After about two months of treatment, Marvin was doing much better, and Angie was able to transition his care to a local veterinarian. These days, Marvin is enjoying life running around in the backyard, going for pontoon boat rides, and snuggling up with his cat brother, Mikey. And now that Marvin is healthy, Angie has turned her attention to supporting the veterinary professionals who were able to provide Marvin with such great care.
Why are scholarships important?
Scholarships make Michigan State an enticing choice for talented students across the country, and they help keep Michigan’s best and brightest here at home. These top students become the quality veterinarians and veterinary nurses we all rely on to care for our beloved pets, protect our food supply, support local agriculture, and much more. When it comes to student debt, veterinary students are some of the most in-need of scholarships. The payoff is substantial—every $1.00 in scholarship can replace $2.00 in loan payments for veterinary students.
This support comes in the form of the Winnie and Marvin Endowed Scholarship in Veterinary Nursing. The “Winnie” half of the name comes from Angie’s grandmother, a renaissance woman born in 1918 who lived until her 101st birthday. “Winnie loved animals of all kinds, as she grew up with dogs, cats, and horses, and she passed that deep love and compassion for animals on to her family,” says Angie. The scholarship will help students enrolled in the College of Veterinary Medicine with high financial need. Preference will be given to students who have indicated an interest in veterinary nutritional health, as Marvin was given a holistic, organic diet to assist in his recovery.
“Angie and Marvin have a wonderful human-animal bond,” says Dr. Jay Maureen, one of the clinicians who worked on Marvin’s case. “Marvin became a mascot for the soft tissue surgery team during his lengthy recovery period, and Angie was his biggest cheerleader. The soft tissue surgery service celebrated Marvin's success, and now Angie and Marvin's gift will serve to celebrate our students' successes.”
Angie is currently the senior vice president and general manager of Media and Entertainment at Silverline, a Salesforce Partner that provides solutions in the healthcare, financial services, and media industries. In her free time, she enjoys going on dog walks, fixing up homes, and spending time outdoors with her husband, children, Marvin, and her black and tan coonhound, Cletus.