Honoring grieving parents: why National Bereaved Parents Awareness Month matters

July is National Bereaved Parents Awareness Month, a time to recognize parents who have experienced the unthinkable loss of a child. It is a moment to pause, reflect, and understand what families really need when their world is turned upside down.

Joy Oppman is one of those parents. Her son Evan was diagnosed with stage four high-risk neuroblastoma when he was just 13 months old.

Evan spent more than 180 days in the hospital. He went through 21 inpatient stays, each one filled with uncertainty, discomfort, and difficult decisions. Early in treatment, the family received help from Pinky Swear Foundation’s Orange Envelope program, a small gesture that provided flexibility and comfort in a time of crisis.

They also leaned on their local community for support and found small moments of joy, even during treatment. Evan ran, played, and smiled his way through much of the journey.

But after about a year, Evan relapsed.

When neuroblastoma returns, the survival rate drops to just five percent. The family knew their time was limited. They made a choice: they would adjust their choices to prioritize treatment options that allowed maximum healthy family time.

Evan continued to snuggle with his mom, play with his dad, and laugh with his big brother. But in a short amount of time, everything changed.

Evan had trouble breathing, so the family went to the hospital, expecting a simple transfusion. That turned into an admission. His condition worsened, and Joy’s husband wanted to stay longer by his son’s side. But after so many hospital stays and time off work, the financial pressure had become overwhelming.

That is when Joy reached out to Pinky Swear again.

Pinky Swear covered the family’s mortgage and utilities that month, giving Evan’s dad the ability to take unpaid time off. That support gave him the most important thing of all: more time with Evan.

By the end of that week, the family learned that Evan’s condition was not temporary. They transitioned to hospice care. Evan passed away that Sunday, which was Mother’s Day.

“When someone is getting ready to bury their child, the only thing they want is more time,” Joy said. “You can get that by taking responsibilities off a parent’s plate. Pinky Swear gave my husband days with our son during his last week of life. That gift cannot be measured.”

This is the kind of impact your support creates. You may never meet the families you help. You may never see the hospital rooms, the hard conversations, or the quiet moments of love. But your generosity gives parents the most meaningful thing they can receive: more time with their child.

During National Bereaved Parents Awareness Month, consider how you might be able to help more families like this one.