Kim and Trey Bowman founded the Bella Bowman Foundation after losing their daughter, Bella, to pediatric cancer and side effects from treatment in 2011.
Bella was her parents’ delight — bright, girly and in love with anything “princess.” In her final ten days, a community of people showed up for Kim, Trey and Bella to provide comforting support and to help them create lasting family memories.
When Bella passed, her parents were determined to give that same level of support to other families with children facing complex or terminal illnesses.
The Bella Bowman Foundation provides comfort care for children in hospitals across the state — everything from blankets and toiletries to toys and iPads. Volunteers (including Kim) visit children both in the hospital and at home, dressed in costume as their favorite characters.
The Foundation has also raised significant amounts of money for pediatric cancer research. It has partnered with hospitals to create special environments for sick children, such as “Bella’s Room” — a place for children in palliative or hospice care and their families, where their every wish is met. Time spent in Bella’s Room fosters beautiful, loving memories that parents can turn to for comfort after losing a child.
Kim walks with every family through the complicated journey of childhood illness, regardless of its outcome. She connects parents to resources, celebrates milestones like the end of a child’s chemotherapy, and is often a shoulder to cry on. Her wish is that no family should feel isolated while facing the possibility of losing a child, and she will keep working until that is reality.