Dear Marie,
I want to thank you for the quick response to our request for more memory boxes for our bereavement program. We used five so quickly and had only one cute pink heart box left. But Judy did send us three beautiful ones and today another box arrived stuffed full of pearly colored ones. Now our cabinet that stores them all locked safe is full and I hope it is many months before we need more.
Our families have expressed appreciation for such unique boxes to store their baby mementos in. Pass our appreciation on to all the painters and angels who help create these special boxes from our nurses and the grieving families. Hope your sunny spring is as beautiful there in the west as it is in Arkansas. You are in our thoughts.
Nancy Meneley RN, SHARE Coordinator, Baptist Health
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Dear Mary,
Thank you so much for the lovely memory boxes that you made for our hospital. The painting is beautiful that you did. We appreciate the different sizes as people are very different as to what they would like. I find it best to bring them to the office to pick one. Usually there is one that they "love" for a special reason. It is wonderful to see them connect in that way to what someone unknown has made for them. Thank you for your kindness.
Sandra Hanawalt, Social Worker, Richmond Hospital, Canada
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Dear Marie,
Just wanted to let you know I received last week the first shipment of memory boxes, and I was so taken aback and the beauty and quality of the product. It was perfect, because we had just had a loss the day before, so when presented to the family, it brought tears to their eyes. As a mother who lost a newborn 16 yrs ago, this is a priceless possession, and your gift for these families will last forever in their child's memories
Joan Rooney, Louisiana.
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Janie
We feel so fortunate to be blessed with receiving the beautiful memory boxes, they will become a central part of the healing for out bereaved families. The work you do is so meaningful both to the families and the staff who provide care. You will forever reside in our hearts
Loss Committee Staff of Shady Grove Rockville, Md
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Thank you very much for the memory boxes that you sent to Salina Regional Health Center. They are beautiful! The love and detail in their making is obvious. We appreciate you wanting to reach out to the families in our area that have had a baby die. Please thank the people that made them for us. I know our families will cherish their memory box.
Sincerely,
Cindy Eller SHARE Coordinator Salina Regional Health Center
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Loretta,
Earlier this week I had a patient who lost a baby and was given a memory box by one of our nurses. She has already lost two other babies in previous years. When I went to visit her after the baby died she told me it was the first time someone had given her such a precious gift. She said, as she clutched the box to her heart, that holding the box filled with her baby's keepsakes was like holding her baby. Thought I would pass this along for you to share with Gerry and the others.
Ann, Sentara Hospital, Virginia
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My husband and I received a Memory Box created by you from the nurses and Unit 51 of the Foothills Hospital. We just wanted to share with you a little about the memories we'll treasure in it.
Our baby girl, Mandy Elizabeth, was born and died on May 4, 2001. Our tiny angel was afflicted with severe cystic hygroma as well as Turner's Syndrome. She was 21 weeks gestation when I delivered her and was stillborn. We got to hold her right away. She weighed a little over a pound and was 9 inches long, so fragile and so innocent. Later the nurse brought her back to us and gave us the Memory Box containing a little outfit they had put on her to take pictures, the roll of film and some booties. There were also a few Polaroid shots and her hospital bracelet.
We hadn't thought about any of these things ahead of time, the pictures, a blanket... The Memory Box and its contents are something we will always treasure. It and our love are all we have to remember our baby girl and we want to thank you for providing grieving parents with such a gift. In Mandy's memory, we plan to contribute something similar because it has meant so much to us, it's important for other parents to have something as well. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Karen and Kevin
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Dear Ms Heath,
On behalf of the Patient and Family Resources Department at the University of Florida, we sincerely thank you for your thoughtful donation of two memory boxes to families who have experienced the death of a baby here at Shands. The memory boxes are so beautiful, personal, and touching. This is a special way for family members to remember and, show that others care about their healing from their loss. We are proud you are part of this program. Thank you!
Once again, thank you for your generosity and thoughtfulness to the families here at Shands.
Sincerely, Gwendolyn Robinson, LCSW
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Sammie!!
Today I received the six memory boxes you created. Thank you. Words will never express adequately how meaningful these boxes are to families. Perhaps it comes to focus when you reflect that in this lovely box are all that this baby has ever had or will ever have...but what surrounds the box is the love and affection shared by you and by his parents. Thank you.
Warmest regards, Jane
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Please accept our heartfelt, but belated, Thanks for the beautiful memory box for Jacob. We are so touched and grateful! The box is so beautiful - and it holds some of our most precious mementos of Jacob ... his little stuffed Tigger, the outfit he wore, his ID bands from the hospital - all the little things we need to go back and touch when we want to be close to him. ..... May God bless you for all the love and comfort you are giving to parents suffering the loss of a child.
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Dear Kay,
The loss of a loved one brings us to our knees. The journey of grief is made more difficult by American society's denial and lack of understanding of this journey that we all must take some time in our lives. Those of us working with bereaved families are constantly amazed at the gifts we receive from the grieving families and those who support the work we do. It is truly amazing grace, manifested in our daily lives. All of you who support our work and all of the families who share this most difficult journey remind us of our humanity and thereby make us more compassionate, remind us of our mortality and thereby make us grateful for each of the moments in our days and the loved ones in our lives, show us courage and inspire us to stretch beyond our ordinary vision.
We feel honored to have people like you dedicated to the important work that we do. I will mail the card on Monday. We are planning a memorial garden for our families. When it is planted, we will have a dedication ceremony. We will be inviting all of the people who have supported our perinatal loss program, as well as the bereaved families. I will keep you posted. It is an important thing that you do...involving the girl scouts. It shares the compassionate side of grief that insists that we grow and learn and teaches us that even in sorrow there is love, life and hope. Maybe your girl scouts will be less afraid of death through their gentle exposure through you work. Blessings to all of you and again our deepest thanks.
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This is just a sampling of the hundreds and hundreds of letters received by the program and it's recipients but it gives you an idea of the impact the program has had.