When everyone turns toward the child, who supports the parent?
A child’s mental health crisis can happen without warning.
A parent may spend hours in an emergency room, leave a child in inpatient care, return home without answers, or try to hold the rest of the family together while carrying fear, guilt, and exhaustion.
Hospitals and treatment providers care for the child. That work is essential.
Love Like a Mother cares for the parent.
We meet parents in that gap with practical help and a simple message:
You are seen. You are not alone. There is hope.
“Suddenly, I wasn’t alone.”
After leaving her daughter in inpatient care, one mother returned home and opened the note inside her bright yellow care kit.
It reminded her that another mother understood the fear and heartbreak she was carrying. During the following week, the snacks, water, hair ties, and handwritten message became tangible reminders that she did not have to face the experience by herself.
The care kit opened the door to something more: connection with other parents who understood what she was going through.
“That yellow tote bag got me through this last week.”
A small act of care can carry someone through an overwhelming moment.
Each $40 Crisis Care Kit is thoughtfully prepared for a parent supporting a child through a mental health emergency.
Kit contents may include:
- A water bottle and snacks
- A journal and pen
- A hair tie
- Lip balm and lotion
- Personal comfort items
- A gift card
- Practical resources
- A personal note of encouragement
The individual items are useful. But the message behind them matters even more:
Someone thought about you, too.
It began with one hair tie.
Love Like a Mother was inspired by founder Cheryl Cardall’s experience during her son’s mental health crisis.
After rushing him to the hospital, Cheryl sat in the emergency-room chapel praying. When a nurse caring for her son asked how Cheryl was doing, Cheryl broke down.
“I don’t even have a hair tie,” she said.
Without hesitation, the nurse removed the hair tie from her own hair and gave it to Cheryl.
It was a small act of compassion, but in that moment it meant everything. It told Cheryl that someone saw her—not only as the parent of a child in crisis, but as a person who needed care too.
That hair tie became the inspiration for Love Like a Mother and for every care kit placed into a parent’s hands.
Mothers are asking, “Where is the village?” So we are creating it.
Right now, 15–20 families a week arrive at Huntsman Mental Health Institute in Salt Lake City. Their children, ages [x-x] are at risk of suicide.
Imagine a mother in this situation. Her child has been admitted to the hospital after experiencing suicidal thoughts or an attempted suicide.
She is in shock. Her heart is shattered. She hasn’t slept or eaten.
She is in the hospital or at home worrying that she missed the warning signs — and is still managing the kids at home, a job, and the financial weight of a hospital stay.
We’ve heard many mothers in this situation ask, “Where is the village that is supposed to help me?”
Finally, we are creating that hope-filled village.
It all starts with a care kit that quietly says, “You are seen. You are not alone. There is hope.”
Then we connect her to support groups and other mothers who understand exactly what she’s carrying, and help her through it.
Other ways to give.
Sponsor a Crisis Care Kit
A $40 gift provides one complete Crisis Care Kit for a parent supporting a child through a mental health crisis.
Corporate Giving
Businesses and community organizations can support Love Like a Mother through financial gifts, care-kit sponsorships, in-kind donations, and community partnerships.
Donate Care-Kit Supplies
Love Like a Mother welcomes selected care-kit supplies and in-kind donations based on current program needs.
Your support builds care before, during, and after a crisis.
Immediate care
Crisis Care Kits provide practical essentials and emotional reassurance during an unexpected hospital experience.
Continued connection
Parent support groups create space for people to talk with others who understand the fear, uncertainty, and isolation surrounding a child’s mental health crisis.
Clear resources
Accessible information helps parents understand where to turn and what they can do next.
Broader access
Donor support helps Love Like a Mother deepen its hospital partnership work and responsibly bring the model to more communities.