National Patch Day

The day grew out of one family's fight. When Oliver Burkhardt, a boy from South Florida, was diagnosed with leukemia, his parents watched him draw strength from an unlikely source: a jacket covered in colorful patches. Oliver called it his suit of armor, and he wore it to face chemotherapy sessions with a grin, once telling an admirer, ‘Thanks, I have leukemia,’ as if the patches themselves gave him courage.

From that jacket grew the Oliver Patch Project, a Miami-based nonprofit founded by the Burkhardt family and led by Oliver's father Brian as executive director and co-founder. Through its Warrior Garment Program, a newly diagnosed child becomes a Warrior, receives a secret patch code, and chooses a quality jacket or tote plus twenty favorite patches, with their name embroidered on the finished garment. Caregivers receive thirteen milestone patches to mark the journey, and every Warrior gets a new patch each month for a year as a reminder they are not alone.

The numbers tell the story of its reach. The project has delivered more than 100,000 patches to children and teens in all fifty states, supporting over 1,400 Warriors through more than 250 hospitals, all free of charge. Oliver himself is now in remission and serves as the project's Chief Patch Officer. When the Burkhardt family applied to have June 24 recognized, the National Day Calendar welcomed National Patch Day in 2023, and partners such as WEP Clinical have since signed on to sponsor new patches each year.

To observe the day, share patches with a child facing illness, donate to the Oliver Patch Project, or simply spread the word with #NationalPatchDay. Sometimes the smallest gesture, a few inches of thread and fabric, can make the heaviest days a little lighter.