Our story
Born from grief, built for love
Kiss of Life Foundation grew from a deeply personal place — witnessing beloved friends and family members face the unimaginable loss of a child, and feeling a profound calling to make sure no family walks that road alone.
How we came to be
Kiss of Life Foundation Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides resources and hope to parents & families that have suffered the loss of a child. Kiss of Life Foundation was not born in a boardroom. It was born in the quiet, devastating aftermath of watching people I love lose their children — and witnessing how isolating, disorienting, and unsupported that grief can feel.
Watching families navigate the grieving process, I saw a gap: a need for a place that truly understood the particular weight of child loss. A place that didn't rush grief, didn't offer hollow comfort, and didn't disappear after the funeral.
That is why Kiss of Life Foundation exists — to be present. To offer resources that meet families where they are. To build a community where the unspoken is understood, and where no parent ever has to say 'no one gets it' — because here, we do.
Mission & values
What we stand for
Presence over platitudes
We believe in showing up — not with easy answers, but with genuine, sustained presence. Grief doesn't follow a timeline, and neither do we.
Dignity in grief
Every child's life matters. Every parent's grief is valid. We honor both without judgment, comparison, or expectation of how healing should look.
Community as medicine
There is healing in being truly understood. We cultivate spaces where bereaved families can find one another and discover they are not alone.
Compassion in action
We translate empathy into tangible support — resources, tools, and community that make a real difference in the hardest moments of a family's life.
How we help
Our approach to grief support
Grief touches everyone differently — parents, partners, siblings, grandparents, close friends. We believe support should reach the whole family and everyone who loved that child. Our resources are designed not just for the bereaved parent, but for the entire circle of people navigating loss together.
Through carefully curated resources, we provide honest, compassionate guidance on what grief after child loss can look and feel like. Through community, we connect families who understand each other in ways that others simply cannot. And through our ongoing presence, we make clear that support doesn't end after the first hard weeks.
Resources
Book recommendations, guides, articles, and tools written with honesty and care.
Community
Personal testimonies and encouragement. Resources to connect with others who truly understand.
Presence
Ongoing support that doesn't disappear when the world moves on.
The people behind the foundation
Meet our team
Lisa & Joe Cheatham
Founders & Executive Directors
Lisa & Joe founded Kiss of Life Foundation. After witnessing close friends navigate the loss of their child. Their mission is to ensure no family faces that journey without support.
Joy Moody
Director of Community Programs
David brings years of experience in grief counseling and community building, helping shape the foundation's peer support programs and community spaces.
Joy Harris
Resources & Outreach Coordinator
Linda curates the foundation's resource library and leads outreach efforts, connecting bereaved families with the tools and community they need.