St. George Police Department shows support for parents, families who have lost little ones

Stock image | St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Oct. 15 marks the day every baby and child lost are remembered around the world and is a special day for millions of bereaved families. Join the St. George Police Department for a candlelight vigil Sunday evening in honor of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day.

“There is no call worse than those that involve the death or injury of a child. Join us at 7 p.m. tonight by lighting a candle in honor those children and showing support to the loved ones who carry their memory with them every day,” Officer Lona Trombley of the St. George Police Department said.

The national tribute recognizes the loss so many parents experience across the United States and around the world and was designated as the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. The day is observed with remembrance ceremonies and candle-lighting vigils.

It also serves to raise awareness and provide resources to parents and families who have lost their children.

To commemorate the solemn event, the “International Wave of Light” invites families, friends and loved ones from across the globe who have lost a baby to join together by lighting a candle at 7 p.m. and keep it burning for one hour.

The St. George Police Department has placed flameless candles in the window of the St. George Police Department as well as the 911 Communications Center to honor families who have lost a child due to miscarriage, stillbirths, birth defects, SIDS and other causes. 

“As parents, officers and dispatchers, our hearts hurt for those children and families so we, as a police department, want them to know they are remembered and cared about,” Trombley said.

“If everyone lights a candle at 7 p.m. and keeps it burning for at least one hour, there will be a continuous wave of light over the entire world Oct. 15,”  Elvy Robichaud, former New Brunswick Minister of Health & Wellness, said on the Remembering our Babies website.

The Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month started Oct. 25, 1988, when U.S. President Ronald Reagan designated the entire month to honor bereaved families. States began declaring Oct. 15 as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day in 2002, and a resolution in support of the day passed the House of Representatives in 2006. As of 2016, all 50 states have yearly proclamations.

“Too many families grieve in silence, sometimes never coming to terms with their loss,” Natalie Himmelrich said in a statement on the “Still Standing” website.

Resources for parents and families

  • Share Families of Southern Utah – Serves families in the Cedar City/St. George area.
  • Utah Angel Gowns – Provides burial clothing at no cost.
  • Share Parents of Utah – Creates hand and feet molds of babies presented in hand-crafted cedar boxes free of charge.
  • Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep – Connects parents with volunteer professional photographers to help parents create heirloom memories.
  • Angel Pics Project – Donates photo retouching resources to the parents and families of stillborn babies.
  • Angel Watch – Part of Intermountain Healthcare’s Maternal-Fetal Medicine department designed to provide emotional and social support for families who may be facing a potentially life-limiting diagnosis for their unborn infant.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

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