Event Seeks to Honor Lost Babies in a ‘Memorable and Meaningful Way’
ThedaCare will host an upcoming event offering comfort to families who have experienced the loss of a baby through miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth or neonatal death.
The event aims to help families honor their child and build connections with other parents experiencing similar grief. The Resolve Through Sharing Candlelight Memorial Service, will take place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 10, at the Best Western Bridgewood Resort and Conference Center at 1000 Cameron Way in Neenah. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. No pre-registration is required.
“We are hosting this event near the holidays to help families memorialize their infant loss experience,” said Ashley Ebert, Registered Nurse at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah and Resolve Through Sharing Bereavement Coordinator. “Often, these experiences can be difficult to share, especially if others around grieving families haven’t experienced this type of loss. The service provides a forum to do that in a memorable and meaningful way.”
The event will feature a reflection speaker who will share a story of hope and healing after infant loss, creating an opportunity for others to share and better empathize with such experiences, Ebert said.
After the speaker, families will be invited to a special ceremony at the front of the ballroom.
“They will be invited to light a candle for their family and add it to a candelabra,” Ebert said. “At the end, we’ll have a beautiful display of lit candles at the front, a special and visually stunning way to honor all of the babies.”
Families also will be gifted a rose and an angel ornament.
“Some families have joined us year after year,” Ebert said. “They have a collection of angel ornaments on their Christmas tree. Just another way of memorializing their baby around the holiday season.”
A ThedaCare chaplain and bereavement coordinators will be available to speak with families at the event. ThedaCare also will have several support handouts available for grieving families highlighting options for assistance for anyone struggling with the loss of their baby.
Families are invited to bring an unwrapped toy in memory of their baby. The toys will be donated to the Salvation Army of the Fox Valley to be distributed to families in need for Christmas.
Families who are unable to attend the event can send their mailing address to [email protected] to receive an angel ornament.
For more information about the event, please visit Facebook Events, Candlelight Memorial Service.
About ThedaCare
For more than 115 years, ThedaCare® has been improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves in Northeast and Central Wisconsin. The organization delivers care to more than 650,000 residents in 17 counties, and employs approximately 7,000 providers and team members at 180 points of care, including nine hospitals. As an organization committed to being a leader in Population Health, team members are dedicated to empowering people to live their unique, best lives. ThedaCare is a not-for-profit health system with a level II trauma center, comprehensive cancer treatment, stroke and cardiac programs, as well as primary care. ThedaCare also partners with communities to understand needs, find solutions together, and encourage health awareness and action. In 2024, ThedaCare and Froedtert Health combined to form one system to strengthen local health care and provide high-quality services for treatment and prevention in a coordinated manner.