"The most important moment is the moment that you're in"

Fundraising for Angels for Olivia

Welcome to Angels for Olivia

NEW UPDATE (Sunday, March 2)

Olivia's Walk of Hope on Sunday, March 2, 2025 @ 1:20 p.m.

PICU - Day 33
It was a very emotional weekend for all of us. Coming up on Saturday and then finally Sunday there were so many 'lasts.' Olivia's last bath. Olivia's last sleep. So many more. And it was heartbreaking.

However it was so helpful to have so many friends and family come out for Olivia's Walk of Hope. It began around 1:20pm as we brought her out of her room and down the hall. A hall which was lined with 60 balloons, nurses and doctors from the floor, and over 30 of Olivia's family and friends. Another 50 or so who could not be in the hallway watched the entire Walk of Hope via livestream on a TV on the 2nd floor of the hospital.

We had her playlist ready as well as the tribute that we had written for her. Halfway down the hall we stopped and it was my honor to read Olivia's tribute out loud for all to hear. It was the hardest thing for me to do. Trying to get all the words out without turning into a complete puddle. They were the hardest words to write but even harder to read.

And then the music started again and we passed by all the family and friends that had come to see our baby girl. From there we left them all behind as we boarded an elevator to take Olivia to her final destination.

On the 7th floor (down from the 15th floor) they took Olivia ahead of us to the operating theatre while we had to put on scrubs to be in the room with her. A few minutes later we were entering the room, our Olivia in her bed surrounded by an army of nurses and doctors, ready to do their job when (or if) Olivia would finally decide to leave us.

They made room for us on the bed and my wife Stacie lay down with Olivia, held her, and we both prepared to spend our last moments on this earth with our baby girl. There we were with her, still intubated, given a final chance to say our goodbyes. She had been intubated and taped up across her face since the day of her admission (January 28). One of the nurses removed the tape from Olivia's face so we could once again see our baby girl's face without it being covered. My wife held Olivia while I stood over them and hugged them both, and we talked to her and wished her well and told her how much we loved her and how proud we were of her that she was going to be a hero as an organ donor.

And then it was time to remove the tube. They prepared us for all the possibilites of what might happen at this moment. They gently removed the tube and we were able to see Olivia's face, completely uncovered and beautiful, for the first time in 30 days. We just held her, told her how much we loved her, and how proud we were of what she was going to do. She took 4 more full breaths and then her breathing become quite shallow. She was there, she was peaceful, she was beautiful. She chose to let go, to do so quietly and peacefully so we would all be able to be there at her final moment, hugging, crying, and being there fully in that exact moment.

One of the doctors at this point began monitoring Olivia's heartbeat and pulse. We continued to hug our girl and tell her how much we loved her. In a few minutes her pulse and heartbeat were gone. And at 2:22 pm Olivia Delaney Chase left this world. Her body was calm, her face was peaceful, but her work was not yet done.

We had one more moment of silence with Olivia. And then the doctors and nurses all jumped into action. We left our girl, we were escorted from the operating theatre, and Olivia's journey as an organ donor began with a flurry of activity. We came back to her PICU room (1530) and had a moment of grief and silence, packed up the rest of our things in the room that we had all lived in for over 30 days, and we went over to visit with all our friends and family who had come for this amazingly special moment for this one-of-a-kind girl.

Food and drink at Gino's East. Less than a block from the hospital it was where we got a room for everyone to gather and share stories about Olivia and to wait for us to come join them. It was good to have them there, for the support, for the love, because I don't think we could have done all this without them. Now all that was left was to wait and see where Olivia's gifts would end up.

Thank you to all the friends and family who came from all over the country to be with us and our beautiful girl Olivia. You have no idea how much that meant to both of us. You are all loved.

Olivia Delaney Chase
Stacie & Steve
#angelsforolivia

NEW UPDATE (Wednesday, February 26)

PICU - Day 29
As you may have seen on Facebook we have been very tied up in our world the last few days. We have had to navigate decisions I would never wish upon any parent.

They do not feel Olivia will survive long after extubating her. At first I was adamantly wanting her to come home. I did not want her last moments to be in a hospital. But while in our hearts we want her to come home we also feel something should come of this tragedy and her life should bring hope. So we have made the decision to allow her to be an organ donor.

We are told she is a transplant candidate and if all things line up for her to be a donor she will not be able to ever go back home. But with her gifts she will allow other children to be able to go home. In that way she may live on and bring hope and a small part of her can shine bright through the smiles of those she can help save.

Our plan is to be able to offer visitation at the hospital on Thursday (2/27) and Friday (2/28) from 4pm to 8pm (or close to that). We ask for Saturday to be all ours. If you would like to come see her in her room with us I will need to put you on an extended visitors' list.

ALSO - and this is the big one! On Sunday (March 2), most likely between 12 noon and 1 pm, there will be a Walk of Hope. This is where the doctors, nurses and our friends and family will line the halls and cheer her on as we take our beautiful baby girl to what will most likely be her last moments with us. Please wear pink and bring your clapping hands because she always thought everyone clapped for her. This time it will be true.

We will not have a formal funeral but we will coordinate a mass of remembrance for our beautiful Olivia in March. The mass will be held closer to our home for those who can't make it to the Walk of Hope but wish to celebrate Olivia's beautiful life with us. Details to be announced as it will take a while to process her gifts and we will need to have her back with us in order to plan. In the meantime we will keep posting photos and keep adding to her memories.

As a reminder we are in Lurie Children's Hospital Downtown (Room 1530) and we have terrible cell service here. So please text me or PM me if you want to be added to the visitors' list or her Walk of Hope list.

Thank you for loving her and please come see her if you would like or come to the Walk of Hope in her honor or both.

We would love to see you here.

Olivia Delaney Chase
Stacie & Steve
#angelsforolivia

Original Post

This page is dedicated to our beloved daughter, Olivia Delaney Chase, who has been hospitalized since January 28, 2025. As parents, we are staying by her side 24/7, doing everything we can to support her through this difficult time. We are reaching out to our friends, family, and the network of people who LOVE to see her smile to help. Any contribution, no matter how small, will go directly toward helping us remain by Olivia’s side while ensuring we can continue to provide for her needs.

Over the last 12 years we have tried to only show our JOY as often as we could. The time has come though for us to give in and say "yes" to those who often asked “what can we do to help?”