Our Story
Empowering Children with Pediatric Cancers through the Power of Patches!
*Patient profile video graciously provide by Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.
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Our Backstory
In May 2020, our oldest son Oliver (9) was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia - A.L.L. To say our family was thrown for a loop...is an understatement!
For families like ours on a cancer journey, you know what it’s like to go through a roller coaster of emotions, from denial to despair, and everything in between. We quickly realized that Oliver and his younger brother, Peter (4), needed us to be brave, strong, and face things head on! We decided right then and there to turn things around with the power of positivity.
When Oliver was diagnosed with cancer, we were flooded with communication from friends and family members asking, “What can we do?” Thank god we’re blessed to have a fantastic support system. We received so much wonderful food (our freezer was full!), gifts, cards and messages of love.
We wanted to keep the momentum of love and support going throughout his treatment, so we made the simple ask of, “send a patch”.
THE PATCHES
Lots and lots of patches!
Oliver is a collector of everything! As designers and lifelong creators at heart, we wondered if there was a way to combine it all, to support Oliver on his journey.
We had the idea for friends and family to collect and send Oliver patches we could sew on his jean jacket that he could wear like a Warrior to and from hospital visits. The jacket served almost like a suit of armor which made him feel strong and loved while fighting his battle. Before we knew it, we reached 2,000 patches, and they kept coming! Oliver was literally bombarded by love and looked forward to walking to the mailbox daily with huge smiles.
We soon asked ourselves, “how can we share this love with other kids like Oliver?” And the Oliver Patch Project was born!
COMMUNITY
Designers that Rock!
We have asked artists around the world to contribute patch designs. The outpouring of art and love for the Oliver Patch Project has been outstanding! Every image and video you experience on this site comes from the creative minds of people that care. These designs are not available anywhere else.
They are made just for our Warriors! If that’s not cool, I don’t know what is.
HOW THIS HELPS
Knowledge is Power!
The Oliver Patch Project is creating community. We lift kids and families up to feel their strength and celebrate their important medical milestones.
Our goal is to make kids and families feel calm and confident in times of crisis. Using bright, colorful, uplifting animations, graphics, and videos we help kids feel their power!