We often forget that fathers hurt too. So in their honor, Carly Marie from Project Heal created this video. We hope it conveys how special our fathers are!
15 SepR U OK?
How many times are we, the bereaved, asked are we ok? It’s an important question and one that we don’t always answer truthfully…probably because the person asking doesn’t always want to hear the answer. Hopefully this post will encourage everyone asking R U OK? to truly mean it.
Thursday, September 15, 2011 is RUOK? Day in Australia. It is a national day of action that aims to prevent suicide by encouraging Australians to connect with someone they care about and help stop little problems turning into big ones.
On this day everyone across the country, from all backgrounds and walks of life, are encouraged to ask family, friends and colleagues: “Are you OK?”.
Because staying connected with others is crucial to our general health and well-being. Feelings of isolation and being alone are major contributing factors to depression and social issues that can ultimately result in suicide. Regular, meaningful conversations can protect those we know and love.
It’s so simple but in the time it takes to have a coffee, you can start a conversation that could change a life. Read more…
15 SepTickets for the A.C.D.K. Hope Foundation Fundraiser on Sale Now!
Hello HOPE members, tickets are now on sale for the ACDK Hope Foundation’s Fundraiser scheduled for Friday, October 21st.
Ticketrs are $15 for one or $25 for a couple. Tickets can be purchased from Christine Boudreau, Julie Richardson, and/or Jeana Catarino. All three girls are available on FaceBook. Or, you can contact us here at HOPE and we will assist you in purchasing tickets. Tickets can also be purchased at the door the night of the event.
Hope to see you all there! It’s a great cause so please come out to support A.C.D.K. Hope Foundation.
07 AugOctober 2nd Walk to Remember
In 1988, President Ronald Reagan named October National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, as a way to remember the almost 1,000,000 babies who die each year due to pregnancy loss, stillbirth, and early infant death.
In recognition of National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, we gather for a Walk to Remember and memorial service to celebrate the children who were with us briefly, but who touched our lives forever.
This year, the walk will be held at Breakheart Reservation in Saugus, MA on Sunday, October 2nd, 2011. Please check the new website for online registration. Registration forms may also be downloaded from the new website.
Registration is due September 16, 2011. Click here to register and to learn more about the Walk to Remember.
06 AugA.C.D.K. HOPE Foundation
We are thrilled to announce our 1st annual A.C.D.K. Hope Foundation fundraiser! It will be held on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21st, 2011 at 7pm. The fundraiser will take place at the Billerica Lodge of Elks, 14 Webb Brook Road, Billerica, MA 01821.
Please share with your friends and we hope to see you all there for a great night of fun, food and fabulous raffles! For more information regarding the fundraiser, please contact us via the comment form below or check out the foundation’s FACEBOOK page.
Hope you can make it!
16 JulLancet Stillbirth Series
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has sponsored a series on Stillbirth. This series addresses topics such as “Taking Action on Global Stillbirths”, “Addressing the Silent Sorrow”, and “The Daily Reality of Loss”. At times when we feel all alone in our grief, it is comforting and even healing to read that others know and understand what we feel. This series is very enlightening!
Click here to read about these topics and more on the foundation website.
15 JulThe Kindness Project
The MISS Foundation‘s Dr. Cacciatore started the Kindness Project in 1996 as a way for families to cope with the tragedy of a child’s death. Since then, more than 1,000,000 kindnesses have been committed around the globe in memory of children, gone too soon.
Would you like to join this movement and commit an act of kindness of memory of your child? All you need to do is go to The MISS Foundation’s website and get FREE cards from July 20 – July 27, 2011. You can purchase extra cards at that time too!
14 JulStillbirths: The Invisible Public Health Problem
From the MISS Foundation website…
Some 2.6 million third trimester stillbirths worldwide occur every year, according to the first comprehensive set of stillbirth estimates, published within this special series prompted by the World Health Organization in the medical journal The Lancet.
Every day more than 7,300 babies are born dead. A death occurs just when parents expect to welcome a new life. “The death of a baby to stillbirth is devastating to families, and we haven’t done enough, historically, to understand its etiology,” says Joanne Cacciatore, PhD, Assistant Professor and researcher on the psychological effects of stillbirth at Arizona State University and President and Founder of the MISS Foundation, an international organization that cares for families facing infant and child death. Kathy Sandler, MSW, Executive Director for the MISS Foundation notes that “the MISS Foundation understands first-hand how traumatic the death of a baby is for families… we’ve been spearheading efforts to pass legislation on how stillbirths are recorded- and how these mothers are treated in the process- in the U.S. and have been successful in 27 states.” Read more…
14 JulPhoto Charm Rings, Necklaces, and Bracelets
Last night during our HOPE meeting, a member shared a recent purchase of a photo charm ring from Etsy.com. She had a designer place a photo of the son she lost to still birth on the ring. It was simply beautiful! Although I don’t have the specific details yet of the exact designer of the ring, I do have a link you could follow to similar artists/designers of photo charm bracelets, necklaces, rings, etc.
Sometimes placing special photos, sayings, remembrances on jewelry helps us connect to our children on a daily basis simply by wearing the jewelry.
14 JulField of Cradles Art Exhibit and Promise Walk, July 24, 2011, Boston, MA
From the Preemclampsia Foundation’s website…
“It’s a poignant reminder to all that pass by, a grassy field of empty cradles, each representing a baby that has lost his or her life to preeclampsia. Inside each cradle lies a blanket with a poem on it written to and for that child. Gentle lullabies play in the background.
This is the scene that walkers at the first Boston Promise Walk for Preeclampsia will experience on July 24, 2011 at Castle Island Park. The exhibit is all the vision of writer, exhibit organizer and walk coordinator Susannah Pabot. With this traveling public exhibit, Susannah hopes to increase awareness of preeclampsia and its symptoms and raise money to support the Preeclampsia Foundation and their efforts.” Read more…
For more information about the exhibit, you can go to www.fieldofcradles.org. To register or donate to the Boston Promise Walk culminating at the Field of Cradles exhibit, visit http://www.promisewalk.org/pfpw/fundevent.asp?nnaffundid=34.