Edward Hospital’s Wings of Hope Angel Garden recently held a special evening of remembrance.
Blessing and Release
Parents, children, and loved ones, gathered at the garden for an annual blessing and butterfly release, for families who’ve suffered a miscarriage, stillbirth, or loss of an infant.
“Sometimes it can be very isolating when you’ve had a loss of a baby, and people don’t know how to help you. So by coming and seeing that they’re not alone as well as you are not alone is a really important thing,” said Perinatal Bereavement Coordinator Susan Villa.
After the names of each child were read aloud, their lives were celebrated with the release of 100 butterflies. It was done as a sign of hope and represented the spirit of the young lives lost.
Support in Grief
“Just having this type of community really allows us to actually be able to speak of it – talk about our kids, to just be able to let it all out. [And it] allows us to grieve in the open with other people that actually understand how it feels and to be able to share that with them,” explained SHARE member Annie Villadolid.
The event was put on by Edward’s SHARE program – a support group that provides resources to grieving families who’ve lost an infant or suffered a miscarriage.
SHARE will be hosting their largest fundraiser of the year – The Walk to Remember – in October. It takes place on the Naperville Riverwalk and you can get more information on how to participate on Edward Hospital’s website.
Naperville News 17’s Christine Lena reports.
