Olivia Johnson
Olivia joined the world as a New Year's Day baby on January 1, 2016 and just like the new year, brought in a season of celebration and hope to her family. Olivia has always been a beautiful bright light and her mom shares that she used to go around giving people “blessings” as a baby. They always called her a little fairy, she even walks on her tip toes! Her family has always known Olivia to be special, animals follow her, kids love her and those who really know, love her quick witty sense of humor. She has a natural strength of character that always shows her heart for others. She was awarded the Super Hero award in school for never allowing her classmates to be picked on, always providing a helping hand and bringing a positive attitude. One story that shows her heart so perfectly is the time she and her mom once found a dead moth on the street and she cried for it, made her mom move it to the grass and then prayed for it. Her mom Sarah says, "That’s my daughter. She just radiates love and compassion for others and animals."
Olivia has cousins close to her age and they call each other “sister cousins.: They are thick as thieves and love swimming and spending time together making TikToks, coloring, or just watching a movie. Olivia loves arts and crafts and drawing pictures for other people and especially loves laughing at her naughty little brother, Legacy and doing skin care routines with mom.
Diagnosis
In April of 2025, Olivia threw up one morning and started complaining of migraines, her dad gets them and her mom thought they might be hormonal hormonal. It started gradually, throwing up once a week, then at school, then in the car and so her mom made her an appointment with her pediatrician. Her pediatrician agreed that migraines were hereditary and allergy related. She gave Olivia some over the counter vitamins and medications to help. When it kept getting worse, her mom took her to the hospital and demanded she be tested for everything, but wasn’t taken very seriously and they gave her blood test, urine test and a nose swab. A week passed and she was throwing up everyday so they went back to her pediatrician and she said an MRI is traumatic for kids and that they weren’t giving the migraine medicine enough time to work. Then Olivia started throwing up multiple times a day, couldn’t keep down water and would sleep most of the day. Her mom called her doctor again and she basically told her to give Olivia a bunch of Tylenol and Benedryl and she’ll sleep it off. After three days of the same her mom knew it was something much bigger than migraines and made her dad take her to Della children hospital and told him not to leave without answers, a quick CT showed a tumor and that’s where their DIPG journey really began. They had never heard of DIPG before and could never imagined it would be their daughter facing this diagnosis. Sarah has struggled to share Olivia's story, but says she believes that, "this could help parents keep fighting and advocating for their children. " And she is a mom that will never give up fighting for her daughter.
​
Olivia and her family have been traveling from their home in Kyle to Dallas and temporarily relocated in order to be close to better treatment options. They originally come from a small town in San Marcos and when they say Olivia has an army, they mean it! There are people from everywhere praying and rooting for her. Her family is incredibly tight knit, Sarah has been a single mom since she Olivia was three, so her sisters and mom have had a huge role in raising Olivia. They are the type of family that spends every holiday, birthday, spring break, or just a random Sunday together and are often told that people admire their bond. Their world has been shook and shattered but some how everyone has just found their role and purpose in all this and they are all playing it so well and they are so grateful for their support system. ​
​
Olivia is a girl with an incredible heart and a big personality that won't be defeated by a DIPG diagnosis and the Archer Foundation is proud to join her amazing family in their belief and hope for a lifetime of good days.
​​
