Our first born son was born nine years ago. January 31, 2012, Drake joined our family forever, but passed away as a newborn. His cause of death was a random genetic mutation that resulted in an incurable condition for a preterm newborn. He died because his heart could not function correctly, the formal diagnosis of his condition was cardiomyopathy. This was discovered during Stacy’s pregnancy at 26 weeks. Stacy also developed life threatening conditions and was admitted to UCLA for three weeks before delivering Drake by emergency C Section. Drake was born at 33 weeks gestation, and admitted to the NICU. He was loved and nurtured by Jon from his first moments, as Stacy was critically ill and not able to see Drake for the first 24 hours of his life. Close family members surrounded us and filled the hospital waiting room, stopping everything in their own lives for days to respond to our crisis,  to pray for us and support us. On day three of his life, Drake passed away peacefully in Stacy’s arms with Jon alongside. Over the years we have seen the impact of his short life in so many ways in our own lives and our community around us.  

We want to honor Drake’s life through this nonprofit foundation. We will be filing for an official nonprofit status, with a goal to formally launch by his 10th Birthday. 

The mission of Drake's Foundation will be to provide support to families who have experienced a pregnancy or infant loss, child death, or a traumatic birth experience. The foundation will offer accessible and affordable counseling to families through licensed counselors, opportunities for peer support, financial aid, and advocacy work. The legacy of “Drake’s Dolls” which many of you contributed to previously will also be incorporated.

Through our personal and professional work, it has become abundantly clear there is a need to connect families with support after the loss of child. The emotional and financial impact is devastating. The unexpected stressors and challenges of navigating complex healthcare systems can also be overwhelming. We  were blessed to have an incredible support network to help us. Also, we were fortunate to have the education and awareness to understand the importance of proactively seeking professional counseling right away to help us cope. Counseling has been an ongoing way through the years, that we have ensured we are staying united as a couple and coping in healthy ways. The loss of Drake impacted us, we miss him always, but we have been able to move forward with hope and healing.

Many families struggle for years with the impacts of unresolved grief and trauma. We want to come alongside those who are suffering, and offer tangible ways to get them connected to the support they need. 

If you’d like to be included on an email list with updates on our ongoing work, please respond with a comment and include your email. Or if you wish to remain anonymous on this website, please email us at [email redacted]. 

How will we use your funds? We are happy to accept any contribution! Here are some estimated guidelines as to how funds will be used. 
Donation Suggestions:
$1,500 nonprofit fees
$500 website development and outreach 

$125: Funds a counseling session for a family 
$25: Provides a care basket to a family and a personal connection to the foundation. 

$50: Donate to the General fund to review needs for families who apply for support. 

With great gratitude and appreciation, 

The Peterson Family 

Jonathan & Stacy 

Drakes Siblings: Jaxon (7), Emi (5), Sadie (2)