Support
for Families
When treatment costs rise and everyday life becomes overwhelming, we help cover essentials like rent, groceries and gas so families can focus on what matters most: time together.
About
A Family’s Promise
In May 2022, Gloria and Scott Sweeney learned their four-year-old son, Evan, had Grade 4 Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) – a rare and terminal brain tumor with no cure and no surgical option. For thirteen months, he faced each day with courage, laughter and love that touched everyone around him. Heartbreakingly, on June 19, 2023, Evan gained his angel wings.
Out of that devastating loss came a promise:
To help families walking the same path know they are not alone.
Evan’s Golden Heart Foundation was built on a love that refused to look away – the
support of friends and family who carried the Sweeneys through their darkest days.
Now, that love carries others.
Joy
for Children
From toy deliveries to celebration packages, we bring small moments of happiness to children in treatment and remind them they’re still kids, not just patients.
Hope
for Tomorrow
We plan to also help fund research for childhood brain cancer, with a special focus on Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) – the rare, aggressive tumor that took Evan’s life far too soon.
Born from Love and Loss
When Evan joined our family in 2017, our family felt complete, like all the pieces had finally fallen perfectly into place. Evan was the most joyful little person, always so free with his love, hugs, and kisses for us all. He would eagerly await his older sister and brother coming home from school so they could play together and spend his favorite time with his family.
When we took Evan to the hospital on May 15, 2022 for what felt like minor symptoms, our lives changed in an instant when the doctors told us that the scans showed he had a mass in his brain. As a parent in that moment, the world stops turning, you can’t breathe, you can’t think, and you feel adrift in an impossible ocean, so far from the sight of land. We learned over the next few days that Evan had terminal cancer, specifically Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), and we tumbled into shock and horror as we came to understand that diagnosis.
There is no cure for DIPG, so you live through the nightmare scenario of “buying time” with 30 days of radiation and praying that the clinical trial your child is in just might be the miracle.
When you’re in those days, weeks, and months, you forget about food, sleep, and nearly everything else besides caring for your baby falls into the background. These moments were where we realized we had a whole community of friends, family, and colleagues who supported us on our journey with Evan. We had so much help during his 13-month battle and even after he passed in June 2023. Not all families have that blessing to help them through, and that’s one of the reasons we started Evan’s Golden Heart Foundation.
With Evan gone, we feel his loss in our hearts all the time, but his light and his joyful spirit are kept vibrant and alive through the work of Evan’s Golden Heart Foundation – bringing that support to those families walking the road we wish we never knew, and bringing moments of joy to those kids who need it most.
Gloria and Scott
Where We Help
Our foundation partners with hospitals and care teams who serve pediatric oncology patients, helping to ease the burden on families during treatment and beyond.
Our beneficiaries include:
- Children’s National Hospital (Washington, D.C.)
- INOVA Fairfax Hospital (Fairfax, VA)
- INOVA Loudoun Hospital (Leesburg, VA)
Our Impact
Every act of generosity makes a difference.
$30,000+
raised for families and research
10+
families supported with direct assistance
2,000+
toys donated
Meet the Sweeneys
Gloria and Scott founded Evan’s Golden Heart Foundation alongside their children, Jocelyn and Merrick, to share the love that Evan gave so freely from his big golden heart. Surrounded by friends, loving grandparents, extended family and a growing network of volunteers, the Sweeneys have transformed personal heartbreak into a community-wide effort to bring light to others.
Why It Matters
Only 4% of federal cancer research funding goes to pediatric cancer. DIPG has a survival rate
of less than 1%, and most children diagnosed live only 8-11 months. Behind those numbers
are families doing their best to make memories, hold hope and find moments of peace.
Your support helps them do just that.
Financials and Transparency
We’re committed to earning your trust and being transparent about how every dollar is used. Annual reports, tax filings and financial statements will be available here as they are published.