In Joyful Memory of Delaney Nalepka
2006–2020
Turning
Grief
Into Good.
The Foundation is named after a small yellow sticker — Delaney's own act of kindness, returned to her when she needed it most — and opened by her family after she was gone.
photo here
Faith ◆ Hope ◆ Joy
A Small Yellow Sticker
The actual sticker — in Delaney's handwriting
Years before she relapsed, while she was battling leukemia, Delaney noticed that her school aide was having a hard day. Without being asked — without any fanfare — she placed a small yellow sticker on her aide's laptop. It was flower-shaped, handwritten, and it said: Don't Worry, Be Happy. The aide kept it. On hard days, she would look at it and think of Delaney.
In October 2020, Delaney relapsed. The aide — knowing this — sat down and wrote her a card. She tucked the sticker inside. Her message was something like: you gave this to me when I was having a bad day and it cheered me up, so I thought I would give it back to you now, when you need it.
The card arrived while Delaney's family was at the hospital. They had been there for weeks after the relapse, with barely any time at home. Mail stacked up. Bills. Cards. Letters from people who loved her.
Delaney never came home.
When her family finally returned, they sat down to open the mail. That card — the one with the sticker inside — was the very first one they opened.
"A small yellow sticker, shaped like a flower. Delaney's own act of kindness, finding its way home to her — and then to her family — at the moment they needed it most."
That is the Don't Worry, Be Happy Foundation. Not just Delaney's spirit, but the way that spirit traveled: from a child fighting cancer, to someone having a bad day, and back again — full circle, still full of love.
Read Delaney's Full StoryA Moment of Delaney
Her joy, in her own light.
"Delaney faced four years of illness with a grace and joy that humbled everyone around her. This foundation is our way of honoring that grace — by standing beside the families who need someone to walk through the darkness with them."
— Her Family
Every Family Deserves a Moment to Breathe
Pediatric cancer doesn't just affect the child who is sick. It consumes entire families — financially, emotionally, and spiritually. We exist to meet them in that darkness.
Families in Active Treatment
Families with a child currently in active pediatric cancer treatment — exhausted, afraid, and in desperate need of rest and reconnection.
See Our Programs →Bereaved Families
Families who have experienced the loss of a child to cancer — carrying a grief that is among the most profound any person can bear.
See Our Programs →Northeast Ohio First
We begin in Northeast Ohio — partnering with University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital — before expanding nationally.
Our Vision →Our Core Programs
Three programs. One purpose: to give families what they need most.
Restorative Family Vacations
Fully funded, carefully planned vacations for families — with a traveling physician for any family with a child in active treatment, so parents can finally stop bracing for the worst.
Learn More →Financial Assistance
Direct support for families facing financial hardship from pediatric cancer — covering medical travel, housing, utilities, groceries, and more.
Learn More →Compassionate Outreach
Care packages, hospital visits, grief support, and community events — because sometimes the most important thing we can do is simply show up.
Learn More →Help Us Carry Her Forward
Every dollar goes directly to families who need it most. No family should face pediatric cancer — or the loss of a child — without someone to help them breathe again.