2nd Annual Walk to Remember

5th Annual Jonathon's Walk

Jonathon's Walk raises money and much needed awareness about this monster disease that is taking the lives of children, Atypical Tereatoid Rhabdoid Teratoma (the rarest most aggressive form of Cancer in the Pediatric field) All Proceeds go to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for ATRT research.

Come out this Saturday September 4, 2010

 @ Veterans Memorial Park

from 8-11am.

BBQ to follow after the walk.

For more information visit jonathonswalk.squarespace.com

Another Treasure Remembered Today " turning trandgy into triumph"

SVRHC CARE Program 2nd Annual Walk to Remember

DATE CHANGE: The 2nd Annual Walk to Remember will be held
Sunday Oct. 10, 2010 please make that change to your calendars!

October is National Pregnancy Loss and Awareness Month
We will be honoring our precious loved children with our annual walk/run to remember

Sign-In and registration begins promptly @ 730am under the Ramada by the volleyball courts in Veterans Memorial Park.

The 5k run and 1.5 memorial walk wil begin promptly @ 8am.

The cereemony will be brought to a close with dedication poems, a balloon release, and light refreshments.

This is a free event and the first 50registrants will recieve a free Walk to Remember T-shirt

For more information contact Rebecca Buksh @ 417-4557 or rebecca.buksh@svrhc.org

If you are interested in volunteering with the walk/run or reading a poem please notify Rebecca before Sept. 15.

I look forward to seeing you all there, Don't forget Sunday Oct. 10! Spread the word............

Star Registry

Perhaps, they are not stars

But rather openings in Heaven,

Where the love of our lost ones

Pours down through

and shines upon us

To let us know they are happy.

-Inspired by Eskimo Legend

Since 1979, the International Star Registry has been bringing customers dreams to earth by offering a unique and magical opportunity to name a star. Honor your loved one and visit http://www.starregistry.com/

UPCOMING: MISS CONFERENCE

The MISS Foundation is a volunteer based nonprofit which provides support, education, advocacy and research after the death of a child at any age and from any cause.
 

Our conference is multi-disciplinary in that bereaved families and

professionals attend, which includes a separate Kids Kamp for children 5-17

years of age.

 
If you are interested in attending visit http://missfoundation.org/events/Events_2010Conf_Postcard.pdf
 
Here is what will be covered at the conference http://missfoundation.org/events/Events_2010Conf_Program.pdf.
 
For more information visit http://www.missfoundation.org/pro/articles/stillbirth.html

Looking for something to do this weekend?!

Farmer John’s Birthday Party & Willcox March for Zane 2010 (map & directions)


Apple Annie’s Orchard and Apple Annie’s Produce & Pumpkins

August 21-22

8:00 AM – 5:30 PM



To celebrate Farmer John’s birthday, all of the You-Pick vegetables at Apple Annie’s Produce & Pumpkins will be specially priced at 20% off and all of the You-Pick fruit at Apple Annie’s Orchard will be specially priced at 20% off, too ! In honor & memory of our grandson Zane, who shares Farmer John’s birthday, 100% of today’s Burger Barn lunch proceeds will be donated to March of Dimes. Please come enjoy a delicious burger lunch and help a wonderful cause! Lunch served 11 AM – 3 PM at the orchard location.

http://www.appleannies.com/

Stillbirth and SUID Prevention, Education and Awareness Act (S1445/HR3212) Update

Stillbirth and SUID Prevention, Education and Awareness Act (S1445/HR3212) Update


If you live in AK, AZ, GA, KS, NC, NH, OK, TN, UT, WY we need you to contact your Senator immediately! Follow the link below, PLEASE fill out our quick and easy Online Advocacy Form now. It will generate an immediate email to them requesting they co-sponsor S1445. Emails from their constituents prior to our meeting with them would greatly help pave the way for success.


http://www.firstcandle.org/2010/08/18/advocacy-alert-your-help-is-needed-3/


Note: If you live in one of these states and are a SIDS parent who experienced issues with the Medical Examiner, Coroner, first responders or hospital and/or have been unable to find support services in your area please contact linda@cjsids.org with your story. We would like to provide concrete examples to these Senators.
Please pass the word on, it only takes a few minutes.

Time to Honor and Remeber Our Precious Angels with a video.

 Time to honor and remember our precious angels for

October 15th, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day!

•  send your photos for the October 15th video to angelicmemories1@gmail.com
  Please include the following information:
• Full Name
• DOB
• Angel date

No more than 3 photos of your choice. If you don't have any pictures, please include a graphic you like or I can make one for you. Just let me know what symbol you like for your angel(butterfly, angels, clouds, ladybugs etc..)

Any other pertinent information you would like to include: Stillbirth, preemie angel, SIDS, miscarriage etc...
 Photos due by Sept 20! This will give me time to put it together in time for October 15th. I will post the videos(in sections because of the length) on youtube and I will also have the dvd for sale. Thank you so much for letting me include your angels in this very special video! It is an honor to me to be able to remember and cherish these special little lives that have touched our hearts!!!
***If your angel was in the video last year and you want them in it again, you must email me! I still have the photos but will need the info for your angel(s). If you do not hear back from me with a confirmation that I got your pictures within a few days, please shoot me a quick email asking me if I got them. We has some issues last year and some angels were missed. I will respond to every email that way you know your angel will be included.
Last years video for October 15th (part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6IYnmKy0-w



Thanks again and God Bless

Audra Leighton

Jonathons Walk

Just wanted to pass this information along........

Join Rebekah along with her family and friends on July 16-19 for Dining to Donate at Applebee's. Come in for Lunch, Happy Hour or Dinner for a good cause. Tell your server that you are there for Jonathon's walk. This si to ensure all proceeds go to St. Jude Children's Hospital for A.T.R.T research. For more information, check out http://www.jonathonswalk.com/ or call Rebekah at 520-227-6180.

Our Support Group

I started going to the CARE Support Group after my life changed almost a year ago. After the worst experience of my life I learned to rely on the support group to help me to the next step of my grieving process.


Unfortunately, I can not turn back time to become


naive once again and think that every pregnancy brings a child into the world 9 months later. But, like many other mothers, my angel was taken much too quickly. This


support group has helped me move forward. This support group has become my support group, my strength to move forward.
When my life fell apart, I didn’t know how I would continue on. If I would tell you that one thing in my life has helped, it has been this support group and all the mothers and fathers involved. I know now that I’m not alone and that we each feel for each other and hurt with everyone’s loss. When I didn’t think anyone understood, the support group told me I wasn’t alone. They were suddenly my friends. I began to look forward to meeting with everyone to tell me that what I was feeling was normal.
The world has told us all to move on, maybe after a few weeks, or at most a month. The world forgets our loss. But the support group has reminded me that my loss will always be a part of my life. The support group has given me strength to have good days. Strength to move to the next anniversary of my loss or my due date. The support group knows and understands without having to explain why you are having bad days, weeks, months or even years later. I know I would not be here today without the support group.
I would like to invite each of you to come and join us at the support group. It will be the best decision you will make during the hardest time of your life. We are all in different stages in our grieving process but we become each others strength, and we all feel each others pain. Let us become your support group. Your strength. Your friend. And your shoulder to cry on.
Thank you to the support group and to everyone who makes it possible.



SUPPORT GROUP

MEETS EVERY 1ST TUESDAY OF EACH MONTH

FROM 6:30-8PM

SVRHC OLSON CONFERENCE ROOM

417-4557 FOR MORE INFORMATION

Infertility

 To follow up on a topic that was touched on at last nights group I found statistics and thought I would share. Please feel free to comment. How common is infertility? About 10-15% of women (6.1 million) in the United States ages 15-44 have difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
 Infertility is defined as not being able to get pregnant despite having frequent, unprotected sex for at least a year.

Tear Jars

In ancient Greece, water was prized above all. Giving up water from one's own body, when crying tears for the dead, was considered a sacrifice. Tear Jars caught their precious tears, and their tears became holy water and could be used to sprinkle on doorways to keep out evil, or to cool the brow of a sick child. Tear Jars were kept unpainted until the owner had experienced the death of a parent, sibling, child, or spouse. After that the grieving person decorated the tear jar with intricate designs. This symbolized that they had not "gotten over" their grief, but rather, "grown through" it. they appreciate relationships and life more, and find meaning in the little things.

When a loved one dies, the resulting feelings of grief can be so painful that we tend to bury them, and they reamain unresolved. Feelings that are unresolved stay with us at all times, weighting us down. It takes courage to sit down and take them out one by one.

Grief is never forgotten!

Lending Library Donation

I would like to express sincere gratitude to the Sharon Schade for donating a book to the CARE lending library.

Thank you for your donation!

REMINDER: SUPPORT GROUP MAY 4

Come Join us for our monthly support group!

Our next meeting is this Tuesday May 4
6:30-8pm
Olson Conference Room
located across from the hospital on El Camino Real.

Any questions please feel free to contact Rebecca at 417-4557 or rebecca.buksh@svrhc.org

"Do not walk the road of grief alone".
We are a peer support group open to all families that have suffered the loss of a baby, whether through early pregnancy loss, misscarriage, stillborn, or newborn death.

Bereavement Photography

A priceless gift to families

http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-news-bereavement-photographer-20100411,0,3237872.story?page=1

New Books For Lending Library

Today the CARE program added a few more books to the Lending Library.

• I Never Held You (Miscarriage, Grief, Healing and Recovery) by Ellen M. DuBois
• Miscarriage (A Mans Book) by Rick Wheat
• A Guide for Fathers(When a Baby Dies) by Tim Nelson
• Another Baby? Maybe.....(30 questions on Pregnancy After Loss) by Sherokee Ilse & Maribeth Wilder Doerr
• When Pregnancy Follows a Loss (Preparing for the birth of your new baby) by Joann O'Leary & Clare Throrwick
• The Anguish of Loss ( A grief journey of love and hope) by Julie Fritsch with Sherokee Ilse
• Couple Communication After A Baby Dies ( Differing Perspectives) by Sherokee Ilse& Tim Nelson
• Dear Cheyenne (A book for bereaved parents & those who love them) by Joanne Cacciatore

If interested in checking any of these out or the many other books we have in our lending library, contact Rebecca 417-4557 or rebecca.buksh@svrhc.org
These books will also be available for review at our support group. Next meeting Tuesday May 4th from 630-8pm @ Olson Conference Room.

Mothers Day

With Mothers Day approaching, you may have already started to experience anxiety building over this day. Mothers Day can be difficult for mothers and fathers, you both may feel lonesome, confused, and/or saddened by this day. You are all mothers, whether you have living children or not. You are still mothers.   You may not be able to care for your child on earth, but  motherhood remains within you.

Happy Mother’s Day to those of you who have only dreamed of a child you could never conceive.


Happy Mother’s Day to those of you who never got to feel your child flutter in your womb for he was gone too soon.

Happy Mother’s Day to those of you who went through labor to hold a still, silent yet perfect angel baby in your arms.

Happy Mother’s Day to those of you who looked day by day at your healthy baby only to find her silent, cold and gone one day.

Happy Mother’s Day to those of you who fought hard and whose child fought harder for a life too short.

Some ideas for Mothers Day:

• Buy yourself a mothers day card or memento
• Plant flowers
• Proudly wear a corsage out (Yellow is for a bereaved mother)
• Visit your childs grave or special place
• Light a candle for your child
• buy extra soft tissues and take care
• Its your day do what you can.

Check out this website and to get 10% off your order enter coupon code mothersday2010
http://www.october15th.com/newsletter/mothersday2010.htm

DONATION

I would like to express sincere gratitude to the MOMS Club of Sierra Vista-East for making a very kind donation in memory of Paige Tejeda born still on 1/22/2010.

Thank you, your donation will greatly impact our program and the families we work with!

Mary Madeline Project

Sierra Vista Regional Health Center Maternal Child Unit is very pleased to announce that they are now recipents of Mary Madeline baby burial gowns and blankets.

The Mary Madeline Project was founded in memory of Madeline Marie Erickson who died at seven weeks of age and in honor of all the babies before and after her that have touched our lives. They are a non-profit organization that donates infant/baby burial gowns and blankets to local hospitals for bereaving parents.

Women donate their cherished wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses or prom gowns to the project and volunteers give of their time, talents, and love by making the baby burial gowns and blankets.

Their goal is to provide comfort to grieving families. They put memory tags in all outfits, so along with donated wedding gowns one can include in memory of.

Please visit their website and check out their beautiful work that we are now able to offer to our families.
http://www.marymadelineproject.org/

HAPPY ST.PATRICKS DAY!

Check out remembering our babies for great discounts on window decals and other great memorabilia.

Save 20% Coupon valid on any item in the Remembering Our Babies Memorial Boutique. Please use coupon code stpatricksday at checkout.

http://www.rememberingourbabies.net
Offer Expires: April 4, 2010

Grief vs. Depression

After the death of your baby there are many emotions one may experience and often you may not know how to explain your feelings or how to get help. A common question often asked, “Is this normal grieving or am I falling into depression. Often times these two can be easily mixed up and you can drive yourself crazy trying to decipher which one you are actually experiencing. After the death of your baby you may experience the normal grief response which is often an intense emotional and physical response to the loss which may come in waves and make you feel like you are on an emotional rollercoaster. It is most important to realize that normal grief does not usually turn into depression. Although it takes time you will learn to adjust your life what your new norm is after your babies death.

Things to watch for are how long the symptoms last and if they get worse. This could be complicated grief or depression.

These two charts give an overview of characteristics of grief and depression. If in doubt seek a medical professional or counselor to be evaluated.


Grief:
A normal complicated response to loss that causes distress
May experience some physical symptoms of distress
Still able to look toward the future
Passive wish for death
Associated with disease progression
Retains capacity for pleasure
Still able to express feelings and humor
Comes in waves
Can cope with distress on own or with supportive listening


Depression:
Generalized distress – loss of interest, pleasure
Somatic distress, hopelessness, guilt
No sense of positive future
Bored, lack of interest and expression
Suicidal ideation not uncommon
Persistent flat affect, negative self-image
Advanced disease and pain
Change in capacity to enjoy life or things that were formerly pleasurable
Constant, unremitting
Often requires intervention with medication, therapy


Source: Casarett D, Kutner JS, Abrahm J. Life after Death: A Practical Approach to Grief and Bereavement. Ann Intern Med 2001;134:208-215.

Trisomy Awareness Month

March is Trisomy Awareness Month!


WHEREAS, trisomy is the presence, within a person’s cells, of an extra set of chromosomes instead of the regular two.

WHEREAS, the most common trisomies in newborns are trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome), and trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome).

WHEREAS, trisomy pregnancies can present unusual complications and can be more at-risk than non-trisomy pregnancies.

WHEREAS, the life of every child is precious, regardless of the number of chromosomes he or she may possess.

WHEREAS, parents should take advantage of the local support groups and online communities that offer education, encouragement, and counseling for those managing trisomy pregnancies or raising trisomy-affected children.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Sarah Palin, Governor of the state of Alaska, do hereby proclaim March 2009 as: Trisomy Awareness Month

in Alaska, and give full support to raising awareness and education for all forms of trisomy, as well as efforts supporting families experiencing trisomy, and to helping people with developmental disabilities achieve their full potential.

Dated: February 25, 2009


Links to check out:








Please pass this information on!

Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week Feb7-14

"Help Educate and Save Babies Lives"
(http://tchin.org/aware/symptoms.htm)

Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Month

A day for hearts is February 14
Congenital heart defect awareness week Feb7-14
Please help spread awareness on the most common birth defect

Congenital heart defects are responsible for more deaths in the first year of life than any other birth defect, the National Institutes of Health reports. There are about 1 million people alive in the United States alone who were born with a heart defect. If you or someone you loved has been touched by CHD here are some helpful tips:
1) Network with other parents constantly. They are a major resource of knowledge on all ranges of topics. You cannot spend too much time doing this.

2) Network with.

3) Read, read, read.

4) Go to meetings, trainings, and conferences -- everything you can go to gain knowledge.

5) Get the support of family members and friends. They can help in many areas.

6) Detailed knowledge of your child can make a huge difference.

7) Keep learning. Don't get over confident in your knowledge.

Helpful Sites:
http://tchin.org/community/index.htm
http://www.congenitalheartdefects.com/
http://www.chdinfo.com/chdaware/
http://www.craftsnscraps.com/jewelry/chdribbon.html

24 Hour Grief Counselors

Grief counselors are a phone call away, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please do not hesitate to contact if you, or someone you know, needs help. Call toll-free at
1-800-221-7437

Copy this phone number and keep it handy for yourself or others. Counselors are available 24/7.

Thoughts on Journaling

~There is no right or wrong way to journal
~Like a best friend, your journal is always there for you
~ It will never judge you or reject you because of where you are or what you are feeling
~ It provides an outlet for the thoughts and feelings that keep circling in your mind rather than stuffing them and carrying them around with you
~ It is a safe place to process those thoughts and feelings
~It provides a written record of your grief journey so when you hit hard places you can look back and be reminded of how you got through the times before and how far you have really come, despite how you feel
~It becomes a treasured memory of your baby's life
~It helps you to make sense of the events in your life and find the lessons buried deep within your pain
~It ultimately leads you to accepting your loss and gaining a new perspecitve so you can grow
~You can write about whatever is going on, it doesn't have to be just grief
~ You can also write about the blessings that come

By: Jennifer Carson

MILITARY FAMILIES

Military families whose child is stillborn (on or after 10/10/2008) may be eligible for $10,000 life insurance payment.The definition of Stillborn is 20+ weeks gestation or over 350grams.

SGLI Dependent Child Coverage has been extended to Include Stillborn Children
Effective 11/18/2009, the law expanded the SGLI program to include a member's "stillborn child" as an insurable dependent. SGLI dependent coverage provides for a $10,000 payment to the insured service member upon the death of the member's dependent child. Prior to the passage of the law, a member's "stillborn child" was not covered by SGLI. This change applies only for stillbirths on or after 10/10/2008.

Check out the link below or contact the Casualty Assistance office for more information.

http://www.insurance.va.gov/sgliSite/FSGLI/sglifam.htm

Support Group (Location Changed!)

Join us this and every 1st Tuesday of the month for our Support group.

WHO: anyone who has been affected by a lss of an infant or newborn whether through early pregnancy loss, miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal loss

WHEN: The 1st Tuesday of every month

Where: 300 El Camino Real Olson Conference Room ( Located Across El Camino Real from the hospital)

TIME: 630-8pm

CONTACT: Rebecca 520-417-4557

This month we will discuss group goals for the coming year, what helped you make it through the holiday season, and the grief baraometer.

See you all tomorrow!