About us
Olivia was joy in human form.
She loved life and all her people. She worried about friends with hurt feelings and she wrote notes to brighten everyone’s day. She was fun-loving, spunky and laughed easily. She loved rainbows, unicorns, mermaids and dresses as much as wrestling with her brother and playing tackle football with her dad.
On January 17, 2022, we heard the phrase every parent fears, “your daughter has Leukemia”. Her case was extremely rare – “Your daughter is the 1%”, the doctors said. Three days after Olivia’s diagnosis, cancer took her away. It was swift and brutal.
Our world was turned upside down. Olivia left such a big hole that it seemed impossible to dig out of – that is, until we started finding the notes she’d written, the old texts she’d sent, and numerous hilarious videos she created. She was such a positive force that we needed to find a way to show the world what kind of light she was.
And so we started this foundation. To help others in their time of need and to lift them up when all is dark. To honor those who we’ve lost and to help families heal so they can find their way in a world that no longer makes sense.
Our Why
Finding adequate grief support that met the needs of our family was a challenge, to say the least. Hearing our child express the simple yet profound desire to “feel understood”, only added to the complexity. We encountered lengthy wait lists, seasonal programs, and a scarcity of grief resources within our community.
An estimated 1 in 12 children in the U.S. will lose a parent or sibling before age 18,* constituting over 4 million children nationally. Sadly, not everyone possesses the ability to engage in conversations surrounding grief, often leaving those grappling with it feeling alone and isolated, particularly the young members of our community. It is this void that the Olivia Chan Foundation seeks to fill – a haven where individuals navigating loss can find unwavering support and genuine understanding.
The story behind our logo
'Lucky' the Unicorn
“I wish I was a gronup and, I wish I was a uncone”
Simply put, Lucky was Olivia’s favorite stuffy. She had picked it out of a store and came out with the biggest smile you can imagine. They were inseparable for a while which made a lot of sense – both were colorful, magical and lit up every room.
It goes without saying that we were all devastated after Olivia left us and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say to was the worst day of our lives. On top of that, we had to plan her celebration of life. We knew wearing black or something drab was out of the question. We knew it had to be bright and colorful, just the way she would’ve liked it. While going through her journal, we came across her entry that simply stated, “I wish I was a gronup and, I wish I was a uncone”, and we knew right then we had the perfect image that encapsulated her spirit.
We used Lucky when we did our first group fundraiser for St. Jude and when it was time to start the foundation, there was no doubt Lucky would be our official mascot – a beautiful, colorful, magical being just like our Olivia.
How you can help
Donate
100% of your donation will benefit activities to support grieving families as well as helping us reach our ultimate goal of building a grief center in our community.
Get involved
If you have a resource or would like to find out more about different ways you can help (volunteering, etc) – we would love to hear from you.