Empowering Children with Pediatric Cancers through the Power of Patches!
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”.
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!
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.
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!
Oliver Patch Project is open to any child in the United States in active treatment for cancer. Whether receiving a patch in the hospital, hearing about us on social media or good ole word of mouth, warriors will be provided a secret “patch code” that takes them to their own portal. Within the Warrior Login Portal, they will create their account and then the fun begins! The child then picks out their jacket or tote and twenty (20) patches. We sew these patches on each garment and mail to them at home. All caregivers will be sent a box of thirteen (13) milestone patches so that they can support and empower their warriors along their cancer journey.
All OPP members receive an awesome patch each month for the next year reminding them that they are not alone. Oliver Patch Project is 100% Free, Fun, and Simple!
Step 1
Oliver Patch Project is open to any family with a child in active treatment for cancer in the United States. Whether you receive a patch in the hospital, find us on social media or good ole word of mouth we are honored to have you!
Step 2
All families will be provided a secret patch “patch code” that will log them into their own warrior porthole where everything is 100% Free, Fun and Simple! Here they will provide us with a little info about themselves, type of cancer, and projected duration of their treatment.
Step 3
Our newest OPP member enters the Warrior’s portal of patches where they select between a denim jean jacket or a classic lightweight tote bag.
Step 4
With their garment selected, kids now choose twenty of their favorite starter patches from the Warrior Patches gallery to be added to their garment.
Step 5
When we receive an order from a new Warrior, our creative team custom curates the selected patches for the garment, and one of our loving seamstresses sews them on.
Step 6
The finished garment is mailed to each OPP warrior and at that time caregivers art sent a box of all the thirteen milestones that they can give their warrior along the way. This process takes between 3-4 weeks as each jacket is made custom for each warrior… but promise it is worth the wait!
Step 7
….and now it’s official. They are part of the worldwide community of Warriors on the Rise! The OPP family!
Step 8
Every month for the next year each Warrior will receive a new patch to add to their collection. Welcome to the OPP family!
Empowering Children with Pediatric Cancers through the Power of Patches!
We love BIG IDEAS, small ideas and everything in between. Come join our awesome army!
Leave a Reply