The O'Neil Foundation for Healing
Walking alongside families through grief, medical complexity, and healing.
Our Mission
The O’Neil Foundation for Healing exists to support widows, bereaved parents, and families navigating the NICU or complex medical journeys by providing compassionate support, meaningful resources, and spaces for healing.
Why This Foundation Exists
Life-altering loss, medical trauma, and prolonged uncertainty can leave families feeling isolated, unseen, and overwhelmed. Too often, support fades once the hospital stay ends or the immediate crisis passes.
The O’Neil Foundation for Healing was created to help fill those gaps - offering connection, understanding, and hope for families walking some of life’s hardest paths.
Give Comfort Today
Support The O’Neil Foundation for Healing
100% of donations directly support NICU and medical families, bereaved parents, and widows/widowers through compassionate programs and resources.
$25 - Comfort Sponsor
$50 - Fuel the Journey
$100 - Support a NICU Family
$250+ - Community Partner
Our Approach to Healing
Healing looks different for every family. Our work is grounded in listening, lived experience, and community-centered care.
Our anticipated areas of support include:
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Peer support and connection opportunities
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Educational resources for navigating grief and medical trauma
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Healing-centered gatherings, events, and retreats
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Partnerships with organizations serving maternal, neonatal, and family health
These focus areas reflect the foundation’s vision and will continue to evolve as the organization grows.
Our Relationship to It’s a NICU World
The O’Neil Foundation for Healing is a separate nonprofit organization that was created to complement the advocacy, education, and storytelling work of It’s a NICU World.
While the missions are closely aligned, each operates independently with its own structure, governance, and purpose.
About the Founder
The O’Neil Foundation for Healing was founded by Ashley O’Neil, a nurse practitioner, writer, advocate, and NICU mother whose work is shaped by both clinical expertise and lived experience.
Ashley’s journey through the NICU, loss, and life after profoundly informed her commitment to creating spaces where families feel seen, supported, and less alone.
Stay Connected
The foundation is in its early stages, and we are building thoughtfully and intentionally.
If you’d like to stay informed as the foundation officially launches and begins offering programs, we invite you to join our mailing list.
Registration Status
The O’Neil Foundation for Healing is a registered nonprofit organization and recognized 501(c)(3) public charity. Donations are tax-deductible as permitted by law.
The O’Neil Foundation for Healing is an independent nonprofit organization affiliated with, but separate from, It’s a NICU World.
