Vivienne Finn and the Foundation Born in Her Name

By Elizabeth Barhydt

This three-part series examines how one Greenwich family’s loss has sparked a broader effort to change the landscape of pediatric cancer care. The series follows the creation of the Vivienne C. Finn Foundation, launched in memory of 11-year-old Vivienne Cecilia Finn, who died in 2020 from a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, one of the most aggressive childhood brain tumors.

Part One traces Vivienne’s life and the path that brought her family from “Diagnosis Day” to the founding of the organization that now bears her name. Part Two brings readers inside Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, where pediatric neuro-oncologists describe the medical, emotional and systemic challenges facing families. Part Three explores the foundation’s pillars—drug development, family suppo