A Note From Our Founder
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE NAME OF TWO VERY SPECIAL CHILDREN
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Becoming a mother has always been my greatest dream, but motherhood has not always been the easiest journey for me. After struggling to get pregnant, I was overjoyed to learn that I was expecting twins. I thought my struggles were finally over, but in reality, they were just beginning.
My twins, Wyatt and Olivia, were born early at 32 weeks after I developed serious pregnancy complications. My babies spent the first month of their lives in the NICU before coming home on supplemental oxygen. It was difficult adjusting to being a first time mom to two babies, who both had extra needs due to their prematurity. However, this again was just the beginning of the hardships to come. |
Founder, Katie Caldwell-Burchett and her
daughter, Olivia, in May 2013 |
Katie and her son, Wyatt, also in May 2013
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As the twins continued to develop and grow, I noticed that Wyatt and Olivia were developing very differently. Wyatt smiled at me and cooed. He could hold his head up and play. Olivia could not. She didn't look at me, wasn't holding her head up, her eyes bounced back and forth, and she didn't seem to be able to see me. Her difficulties were always explained away due to her premature birth, but my mother's intuition was screaming that something else was wrong.
Then in July 2012, Olivia began to have seizures. We were rushed by life flight to a children's hospital in Colorado where the first image of the mass growing in her brain was seen on a CT scan. Before that moment I never imagined that my daughter had cancer. It was the realization of my very worst fear coming true. |
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Olivia would go on to battle cancer for the next 16 months. She would endure many surgeries, countless MRIs, round after round of chemo, and many, many trips to Denver. But it wasn't enough to save her life. Olivia lost her battle with brain cancer on October 22, 2013 at 20 months and 3 days old.
You would think this was where the story would slow down and grief would completely take over, but unfortunately, life only got more complicated after her death. The day after Olivia's funeral, her twin brother, Wyatt, was life flighted right back to Children's Hospital Colorado where he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Wyatt's journey with Type 1 Diabetes has still required our family to travel to Denver frequently. He is on an insulin pump and uses a continuous glucose monitor, which helps us to manage his disease. However, he has still had multiple complications, and the travel and continued advocacy for his care has at times stretched our family to its limits. |
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My experiences with my children have uniquely shaped my perspective and my drive to make life better for children in Wyoming who are battling cancer and other serious diseases. I have seen first hand how incredibly hard it is to have to travel for treatment. I know the heart wrenching truth of what it is like to have a child who is sick and ultimately dies from cancer. I know what it's like to have your whole world rocked by sickness over and over again. And that is what fuels my passion to make a difference through our work at the Olivia Caldwell Foundation.
The Olivia Caldwell Foundation was initially created to fund life-saving pediatric cancer research in memory of Olivia. And that is still a huge piece of our mission! The research we've funded has led to the cure for 8 types of pediatric cancer, including the one that killed my own baby girl! Because of our funding, other children who receive the same diagnosis will be able to survive and thrive! And because of our work, those same children don't even need IV chemo! They can instead receive chemo in the form of an oral tablet they take from the comfort of their own home.
The Olivia Caldwell Foundation was initially created to fund life-saving pediatric cancer research in memory of Olivia. And that is still a huge piece of our mission! The research we've funded has led to the cure for 8 types of pediatric cancer, including the one that killed my own baby girl! Because of our funding, other children who receive the same diagnosis will be able to survive and thrive! And because of our work, those same children don't even need IV chemo! They can instead receive chemo in the form of an oral tablet they take from the comfort of their own home.
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As the Olivia Caldwell Foundation grew and matured, the board and I felt strongly that we could do more. We believed that we could expand our missions to help more children who were battling other complicated medical conditions in Wyoming. And in 2019 we found a great way to do that!
In late 2019 we partnered with Children's Hospital Colorado and Wyoming Medical Center to open the Pediatric Specialty Outreach Clinic. The Clinic was created to consolidate and expand the existing outreach clinics held by Children's in our area, in a newly designed pediatric friendly space. |
The family today! Wayne, Wyatt, Landon & Katie Burchett
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The Clinic features a pediatric friendly waiting room and is filled with murals to brighten the experience for the children. Bouncing butterflies lead them down the hallways, and each exam room includes a large mural featuring a different animal. Our goal is to bring children joy even when they have to see their specialist, and to do so much closer to home.
Finally, we expanded our mission once again in late 2020 by adding a Patient Advocate Program to the Pediatric Clinic! This program is designed to support families by connecting them to the resources that can help them throughout their child's illness, including travel expenses, food assistance, housing support, counseling services, grief care, and more.
I've learned throughout my experience that we live in an incredible community that is filled with outstanding resources for the residents of Wyoming! However, very few families know where to look to find the help they need, and quite frankly, they don't have the energy to take on that task when they are in the thick of their fight. Our Patient Advocate is an expert in all of the available resources and is able to work with families to find those resources, fill out the appropriate forms, and get them the support they need to make their child's medical battle easier.
The Olivia Caldwell Foundation has several unique pieces to our mission, but they all fit together as we continue our fight to improve the lives of children battling cancer and other complicated medical conditions in Wyoming! Our goal is to one day have no more lives lost to pediatric cancer, and to make lives simpler for the families who still have to walk through a difficult medical illness with one or more of their children.
Our journey began with my babies, and we continue our work each day to make sure their stories are honored through the work we do, and that other families can benefit from the lessons I have learned. Thank you for your support as we continue this important work! None of this would be possible without your incredible generosity!
With Most Sincere Gratitude,
Finally, we expanded our mission once again in late 2020 by adding a Patient Advocate Program to the Pediatric Clinic! This program is designed to support families by connecting them to the resources that can help them throughout their child's illness, including travel expenses, food assistance, housing support, counseling services, grief care, and more.
I've learned throughout my experience that we live in an incredible community that is filled with outstanding resources for the residents of Wyoming! However, very few families know where to look to find the help they need, and quite frankly, they don't have the energy to take on that task when they are in the thick of their fight. Our Patient Advocate is an expert in all of the available resources and is able to work with families to find those resources, fill out the appropriate forms, and get them the support they need to make their child's medical battle easier.
The Olivia Caldwell Foundation has several unique pieces to our mission, but they all fit together as we continue our fight to improve the lives of children battling cancer and other complicated medical conditions in Wyoming! Our goal is to one day have no more lives lost to pediatric cancer, and to make lives simpler for the families who still have to walk through a difficult medical illness with one or more of their children.
Our journey began with my babies, and we continue our work each day to make sure their stories are honored through the work we do, and that other families can benefit from the lessons I have learned. Thank you for your support as we continue this important work! None of this would be possible without your incredible generosity!
With Most Sincere Gratitude,
