Meet Kaori Garcia, Gloves for Grief Board Member

Passionate about giving back, Kaori is a dedicated advocate for community service, believing deeply in the power of connection and compassion to uplift others. Born and raised in Orange County, CA, she has worked in a variety of roles in local school districts, community service organizations, and Parks & Recreation Departments for the past 20 years. 

After getting married in 2016, Kaori began her journey to build a family together with her husband Joel. After years of no success, they began the journey of IVF in early 2020. After experiencing two miscarriages after successful embryo transfers in 2020, their third embryo finally stuck around in March 2021. After a high-risk and difficult pregnancy, Kaori gave birth to her daughter Ruby, six weeks early in November 2021. After spending 9 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Ruby was able to go home with her parents and is now a healthy and happy, almost 4 year old. 

In 2023, Kaori and Joel decided that they were ready to continue to grow their family. They decided to transfer their 4th and final embryo in Fall 2023. The transfer was successful, but Kaori went into preterm labor at only 23 weeks at the end of February 2024. Their son Makoa, was born on March 1, weighing only 1lb, 5oz. Makoa battled several challenges due to his prematurity and extremely low birth weight. After 133 days in the NICU of two different hospitals, Makoa passed away in his mother’s arms on July 12, 2024. 

Although Kaori has dealt with the loss of grandparents, friends, and other family members, this traumatic and unexpected loss of her son pushed her into a world of grief she never expected. Kaori jumped into action, navigating through resources related to grief and more specifically, desired connecting to other mothers who had experienced the loss of a child. At the end of 2024, Gloves for Grief held a special grief support group called “Holding Your Hand Through the Holidays”. Through this support group, Kaori met Terra and instantly connected to her as a grieving mother. Kaori is grateful for the friendships and community she has made through this incredible organization. 

Kaori is thrilled to be a part of Gloves for Grief, and hopes to use her passion for community service and building connections to help others through their unique grief journeys. Kaori currently lives in South Orange County with her supportive husband, almost 4 year old daughter Ruby, and a 4 year old French bulldog named Gus.