Tags
baby loss, bereaved parents, child loss advocate, grief support, grieving parents, miscarriage, pregnancy and infant loss awareness, stillbirth, surviving child
I’ve not been writing because I’ve been pretty busy lately. I’m working on a project that has the main focus of allowing my 6 yr old Tally the freedom to grieve and remember her brother without shame or stigma for the rest of her life as she sees fit, while also providing support for grieving families AND spreading awareness and promoting research and education for Pregnancy and Infant Loss.
I was, like most in the loss community, disappointed with the lack of attention given to Pregnancy and Infant Loss in the month of October. This is due to October also being shared with Breast Cancer Awareness. While BC is extremely important, so is Pregnancy and Infant Loss. So many people can tell a story of someone whose infant has died, or who has experienced stillbirth or miscarriage, yet its a taboo or kept silent subject. However, we also need support. Our remembrance walks draw few participants, very few people donate money to research or finding out cures/implementing testing, far fewer people recognize what the SIDS or Pregnancy/Infant loss ribbon looks like, let alone actually WEAR it.
I am “accepting” that this happened to me and my family. I’m not happy about it but I can’t change it. I’ve decided that I won’t sweep it under the rug. The loneliness, isolation and pure pain I feel is real, and it bothers me so much to know that this is happening every day! That other Mommies, Daddies, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and siblings are in pain but support is hard to find. I’ve decided I want to be an advocate, to give a voice to the voiceless, to remove the veil and humanize this tragedy, so that real change and open and honest dialog can occur.
In the coming weeks I will be posting more, starting at the end of this week (11/17). I’ll be giving my raw perspective and true feelings about creating a “new normal” in the face of such great loss, while also showing that there can be hope.
My son’s life was not in vain. I hope my project will garner your support and help prove the gift of life, no matter how short it is is precious.