“Once you become real you can’t become unreal again, it lasts for always.”
- The Velveteen Rabbit
Many of those who lose a child may feel as if they bear an untold story hidden deep within them. As a mother of two angels I have felt those untold stories begin to come to life here on earth, where my babies are not, as I began to advocate and help support those whose arms are also absent of their child(ren).
Halos of the St. Croix Valley has given me the opportunity to branch out and create a program we call H.E.L.P. (Halos Early Loss Project) that focuses primarily on early losses, miscarriages (any pregnancy 0-14 weeks of gestation). As I began developing the program, researching, making phone calls to those within the hospital systems in MN (where there is a law to protect miscarriages from being treated as medical waste), I found out about an opportunity many hospitals in MN provide for the families that I believe is essential for our own community in WI as well.
Hospital arranged group burials provide families experiencing the loss from the gestation of 0-14 weeks. They provide the families with a group memorial service and burial unless private arrangements are made. These ceremonies usually take place quarterly or bi-yearly depending on the geographical need. Because miscarriages are roughly 1 in 4 and sadly happen more frequently, group burials are necessary in order to be able to support and help the large number of families that experience that particular loss.
We have created a designated space for those we love who gain their wings early on in life; Lullaby Lane. Lullaby Lane embodies the deep love a parent and loved one carries each and every day for the little Angels that may, or may not, have touched this earth...but have touched their hearts forever.
Besides our Lullaby Lane Memorial, H.E.L.P offers immediate support for individuals as well as information and resources that can be provided to clinics willing to partner with us and then given to patients right there at the hospital. Below is a list of our current services.
~Stephanie
H.E.L.P Coordinator
