Brian Burkhardt is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Oliver Patch Project (OPP). His path to founding OPP has been shaped by a variety of creative endeavors, all leading to his current mission.
In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, Brian’s son, Oliver, was diagnosed with Leukemia. Faced with the uncertainty of his prognosis, Brian and his wife, Trisha, responded with positivity and love. Early in Oliver’s treatment, Brian made a simple request on Facebook for friends and family to “Send a Patch” to encourage Oliver to walk to the mailbox each day. This heartfelt call to action resulted in over 2,000 patches within the first month. Brian sewed these patches onto Oliver’s jacket, transforming it into a symbolic shield for his journey. As Oliver opened the patches and sent thank-you videos, he suggested, “Mom, Dad, we should do this for other kids.” This moment of inspiration led to the creation of their mission.
The Oliver Patch Project partners with artists from around the world to provide a fun, free, and engaging platform designed to empower children battling cancer through the distribution of patches. Currently active in over 260 hospitals across all 50 states, OPP has sent over 70,000 patches of support to children, teens, and families. What began as Oliver’s dream to help others has become Brian’s ongoing passion.
Motivated by the desire to offer love and support to every child, teen, and family involved in clinical trials, OPP recently launched the Global Clinical Patch Support (Retention) Program. This initiative aims to unite participants in clinical trials, creating a supportive community regardless of the specifics of each trial. OPP strives to build a strong network that assures every pediatric participant that they are never alone on their journey.