Banner Desert supports 16th Annual Walk to Remember

MESA, Ariz. – (Oct. 18, 2008) Banner Desert Medical Center, in conjunction with RTS Bereavement Services was a supporter of the 16th Annual Walk to Remember for babies who have been lost to miscarriage, stillbirth or infant death Saturday, October 18, 9 a.m. at St. Timothy’s Catholic Community. More than 600 people walked.

The Walk was approximately one mile and was followed by a memorial ceremony and balloon release. Parents read a special poem or prayer, or shared a memory of their baby during the ceremony.

October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, to remember the 870,000 babies that die each year, through miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, still birth, and newborn death.

A Walk to Remember, held during October, honors those babies. Since 1988, many perinatal loss groups across the country have taken the opportunity during this beautiful fall month to pause, to remember, and to honor the precious babies whose short lives on this earth have touched the hearts and lives of their parents and families.

Many people throughout the nation work tirelessly to raise awareness about perinatal grief and to ensure that sensitive care is given to parents that experience a miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, or newborn death.

The Walk is designed to raise public awareness to ensure families receive the sensitivity they deserve. Through the Walk to Remember, committed parents, their friends and families, and professionals can symbolically unite those who have experienced a loss and those who have cared for them by joining a national network of thousands of others who will take part in their local Walk to Remember events.