October is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Month
On Sunday, October 1, 2023, On Angels’ Wings helped usher in Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month with a remembrance event for the Springfield community. In collaboration with The Doula Foundation, Life Meant to Live, M.E.N.D., and staff from local hospitals, families gathered on private property in Rogersville for an intimate and simple ceremony.
Lisa Logan, who serves as the Bereavement Coordinator and NICU Educator at Mercy in Springfield, offered her property for the event. “As a NICU nurse for over 40 years, I’ve supported many families through the unimaginable loss of their baby,” Lisa says. “I’ve also experienced 2 losses of my own. While working with these devastated parents, I developed a passion for creating memories of their babies’ short time on earth.” Lisa and Michelle C. met during staff training at the hospital several years ago, and Lisa says she dreamed of being a part of the work OAW is doing in the community. Now, Lisa takes pictures for the organization, helps to coordinate needs for OAW services within the hospital, and helped to plan the event. “A few years later, and I’ve fulfilled that dream,” Lisa says.
Community members were able to attend for free, thanks to a generous sponsorship of the event from Hospice Foundation of the Ozarks. Joe Dillstrom performed live music while families wrote messages to their children on paper sky lanterns. The lanterns were then lit and released to honor and remember those little ones lost too soon.
The impact of the event was positive and helpful to many families. Those in attendance had the following to say:
“[This] event created an opportunity for our family to enjoy a beautiful, bittersweet night together. It is hard to balance where we are in our grief with where we are in our joy. Gatherings like this make a safe space for families to sink in and cry or smile. We are so grateful to have the opportunity to remember our first baby in a way that isn’t only sad.”
Stacy Lynn
“The Night of Remembrance Event was a wonderful way to kick off pregnancy and infant loss awareness month. It means so much to have a community of people surrounding and supporting us through the loss of our babies. The lantern release was a beautiful tribute to our angel babies. The ability to celebrate our little angels as a family with other families who have experienced a similar loss was a very special experience.”
Rochelle Carroll
I really felt like it was thought out and very supportive as the community came together to help us honor those gone too soon. As a family, we were missing our angel a little more this season and being able to write letters to her on the lantern before we sent them to heaven gave us that hope of holding onto her a little longer. It was a healing moment for all.”
Ashley Burney
“After recently losing our son, On Angels’ Wing has provided our family with amazing support. Having a lantern lighting was a special way for our children to write messages and send them to their brother. It means so much to our family that programs like On Angels’ Wings provides ways for families to keep their special ones’ memories alive.”
Molly Edwards
“Society gets awkward with mentions of a child gone to Jesus, so it was healing to have my child’s existence affirmed and remembered.”
Shia Stanhope
