Remembrance Day helps parents cope with loss

SUN CITY WEST, Ariz. (Oct. 3, 2011) – Whether a baby lives just a few short weeks in the womb, or lives only a single minute on this earth, they are still children in the hearts of their mothers.

Mothers who lose babies through miscarriage, stillbirth or shortly after birth often live with an unresolved grief. Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center honors these infants, their mothers and families during its annual Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day Ceremony, “Remembering Our Babies.”

This year the candlelight ceremony will be held 5:30 – 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15, in the nonprofit hospital’s beautiful Reflection Garden, just outside the main entrance at 14502 W. Meeker Blvd., Sun City West. Enter to the main entrance from Granite Valley Drive.

Speakers, soothing music and poetry will honor the memory of children lost. A butterfly release will cap the ceremony.

“Expectant mothers are filled with such anticipation and joy,” said Freda Cook, clinical nurse manager in Banner Del E. Webb’s Women’s and Infant Services department. “A miscarriage cuts that joy short and  when an infant dies shortly after birth, there is an unfathomable loss. It’s a loss like no other because the baby is promise unfulfilled; a joy turned into immediate sorrow.”

 “Remembering Our Babies” gives families a time to remember and acknowledge these precious lives.

Light refreshments will be served at the ceremony. For more information, please call (623) 524-4325. No reservations are required.

About Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center
Banner Del E. Webb is a 404-bed, acute-care hospital offering orthopedic surgery, heart care, emergency care, general surgery, cancer care, obstetrics and gynecology, medical imaging, women’s diagnostic services, outpatient services, rehabilitation and behavioral care.

Banner Del E. Webb is part of Banner Health, a nonprofit health care system with 23 hospitals throughout the West. Supporting Banner Del E. Webb’s mission of excellent patient care is Sun Health Foundation, which encourages charitable giving to enhance health care delivery.