Life after losing a child
16/03/2008
In recent months the Mature Times has published some heart-rending stories about an organisation called "Outfits for Angels", who help people find the graves of their stillborn babies. Many readers who used the service expressed the profound sense of relief at finally being able to properly grieve for their dead child, whose loss - even fifty or sixty years on - continued to inflict a deep wound.
Now a group of parents who have lived through the death of their child have told of their experiences in a new book called "Farewell, My Child" - a collection of over 25 stories about life after the death of a child, as told in the first person by parents and siblings. It was launched to mark the Child Bereavement Charity’s (CBC) first annual "Remember, Remember on Mother’s Day" campaign.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of the difficulties faced by mothers, fathers, grandparents and other family members when a child dies. Countess Mountbatten, the charity's Honorary President, has contributed to the book, recounting her own personal experience of the death of her twin son Nicholas, and CBC Patron Will Greenwood and his wife Caro talk about the death of their firstborn baby son, Freddie.
The families involved range from those who have lost babies to those who have experienced the death of adult children; from those whose child died in the last few months to those whose child died over 20 years ago; from those who lost an only baby or child to those who have lost more than one of their children, and from those where the death was sudden to those where the death was anticipated. The book also includes sections on coping with loss and where families may find sources of support.
Ann Chalmers, Chief Executive of CBC said, “We have learned how important it is for families to have the death of their child acknowledged. Through reading the moving accounts in this book we can all begin to have a greater understanding of the experiences and feelings of bereaved families. It will be an invaluable resource for everyone touched by the death of a child.”
The Child Bereavement Charity provides specialised information, support and training to all those affected when a baby or child dies or when a child is bereaved. To order the book please call 01494 446648 or email enquiries@childbereavement.org.uk
And if you, or someone you know needs help finding a baby grave then please email: Nancy.walker@virgin.net.