How colorful, personalized patches bring joy to young cancer patients

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When Oliver Burkhardt underwent leukemia treatment at age 9, he entered the hospital wearing his patch-covered denim jacket. Pokemon. Superman. NASA. Police, fire, military. Classic rock bands. About 50 patches sewn on by his parents, selected from thousands sent by well-wishers worldwide after his dad made a social media request. The jacket became Oliver’s suit of armor, deflecting his disease—and the nasty side effects of his treatment. It sparked conversations with nurses. His parents decorated their own jackets, showing they were a team. The patches made Oliver feel special. “I knew people were looking out for me, they gave me positive vibes, that people loved me,” said Oliver, now 13 and in remission. Seeing how the jacket and its patches helped Oliver, he and his parents, Brian Burkhardt and Trisha Brookbank, thought other kids battling cancer might like one, too. The couple, who come from art backgrounds, reached out to their designer friends and within a day received 300 renderings for possible patches. The Oliver Patch Project was born. Three years after launching, the charity has provided more than 1,600 children from infancy to 19 years with either a free denim jacket or tote bag. They are adorned with 20 patches selected by the child or parents from the program’s website, and then each month they receive another patch in the mail. At the charity’s office west of Miami, a dozen boxes containing a jacket or tote awaited pickup, heading to homes in such cities as Corpus Christi, Texas; Eagle Mountain, Utah; and Murietta, California. Children with cancer from all 50 states have joined. “In many ways, it’s not really about patches. It’s about love and support and community and something tangible to represent to them that they belong,” said Brian, a former creative director who now runs the charity full-time. Oliver said knowing that a project born from his illness helps other children “is amazing.” He sometimes travels to meet project recipients. “It is hard, but I feel if you have like a positive attitude, which I know sometimes is kind of hard to have, you can get through it and you got this,” he said. This article was provided by The Associated Press.