When Grief Speaks, Love Answers: Honoring Olivia
How one girl’s love and spirit continue to guide a family’s mission to support others through grief.
By Reina and Mel Chan
Our journey to start a family wasn’t easy. The road was long and often uncertain. We had always dreamed of building a family together, but after years of trying, we were met with nothing but heartbreak. That’s when we chose adoption. We believed it could help us fulfill that dream.
We were ready to love a child, whether they came from us or came to us. After three years of waiting, hoping, and praying, we finally got the call that changed everything.
In November 2008, our first child was born. The joy we felt was beyond words. The love we had was instant and overwhelming. We were finally parents. But even in those early days, we knew our family wasn’t yet complete. So, we began the adoption process again, knowing the wait could be long, but always holding onto hope.
Four years passed. Then, on December 9, 2012, we got the call:
“We have a baby girl. She was born at 12:59 a.m. Would you like to meet her?”
First Sight, Forever Bond
The answer was yes, without hesitation. We packed our things and drove from Sacramento to Lancaster, hearts pounding with excitement, nerves, and anticipation.
The hospital was unfamiliar and cold. We were led through metal detectors and down a long hallway, time stretching with every step. Then a nurse appeared.
“Would you like to meet her?” she asked.
We nodded and followed her into the room. Across the space, we saw her, a tiny pink bonnet, a delicate bundle, just five pounds. We could hardly contain our joy.
But then the nurse paused.
“The birth mother tested positive for meth. The baby may go through withdrawals in the next day or two.”
Our hearts sank, but only for a moment. We knew, without a doubt, that she was our daughter. No diagnosis or challenge could change that. We named her Olivia.
For the next nine years, she filled our lives with love, laughter, and light.
A Spark of Magic and Mischief
From the beginning, Olivia was more than just a child. She was a force of nature. Her heart was enormous. She comforted friends when they were sad, wrote notes to cheer people up, and had a gift for knowing exactly who needed a little extra love.
She loved life with a kind of joy that was contagious. She laughed easily, danced often, and believed in all things magical, rainbows, unicorns, mermaids. She could twirl in a dress one moment and tackle her dad in a game of football the next. She was fearless, joyful, and always up for an adventure.
The One Percent No Parent Wants to Hear
And then came the day that changed everything.
January 17, 2022.
“Your daughter has leukemia.”
The words didn’t seem real. They hung in the air like a fog. But it wasn’t just leukemia. It was rare. “Your daughter is the 1%,” the doctors told us. The odds were stacked in the cruelest of ways.
Three days later, she was gone.
It happened so fast. One moment, we were holding her, kissing her forehead, telling her it would be okay. The next, she was no longer with us.
In the days that followed, our world shattered. Nothing made sense. The weight of our grief was unbearable. Every breath felt heavy. Every step, impossible. We didn’t know how to keep going.
But then, in the middle of all that pain, we began to find little pieces of her, breadcrumbs of love she had left behind.
Learning to Breathe Again
A handwritten note hidden in her room. Old text messages full of encouragement and jokes. Videos she’d made, showing her playful, loving spirit. It was like she knew we’d need reminders. Like she had left us a trail to follow out of the darkness.
Her light hadn’t gone out. It had simply shifted. 
We knew then that we couldn’t let her story end there. Olivia was too vibrant, too full of love, too impactful to be remembered only through grief. So, we created the Olivia Chan Foundation.
The foundation was born out of heartbreak, but it’s fueled by the same love Olivia gave so freely. Through it, we support families going through the unimaginable. We walk with them through grief. We show them they aren’t alone. And we offer a way to move forward, not by forgetting, but by remembering with love and purpose.
Creating the foundation gave us something to hold onto. It gave our grief a direction. It gave our pain a voice. And it introduced us to a community of others who understand what it means to lose and still love.
Love is Stronger Than Grief
Olivia’s life was short, but it was overflowing with meaning. She changed people. She reminded us to lead with kindness, to laugh often, to love boldly. Her legacy lives on in every person we help, in every family we support, and in every act of compassion done in her name.
Losing her is the most devastating thing we will ever experience. But even in that darkness, she left us with light. Her notes. Her videos. Her joy. Her spirit is still with us. And through the Olivia Chan Foundation, we get to share that spirit with the world.
This journey has been painful. But it’s also been full of love. 
Olivia taught us that love is stronger than grief. Stronger than pain. Stronger than death. We carry that truth with us every day. And we will keep honoring her, helping others, and shining her light for as long as we live.
We are heartbroken. But we are grateful.
Grateful to have known her.
Grateful to be her parents.
Grateful to keep her love alive.