Each year, about 24,000 babies are stillborn in the United States.*
“My husband, Chris, and I were so excited to meet our second child. Our baby girl, Emmy, was due in November 2020,” shared Kristen Flanagan, who lives with her husband and their 8-year-old daughter, Addy, in Oconomowoc, WI. “I was healthy, and the pregnancy was progressing normally. But for reasons we’ll never know or understand, Emmy was stillborn at 29 weeks. Our hearts were broken; we were absolutely devastated.”
As one of many ways Kristen and her family learned to cope with their grief, they turned to philanthropy. Kristen wanted to help other parents experiencing pregnancy loss.
“I wanted grieving parents to know they’re not alone and offer them support in their time of need. With Addy’s help, I decided to start putting together care packages for families dealing with pregnancy loss.”
Over the past two years, Kristen and Addy raised money and collected items to fill the care packages. Addy even created some promotional videos for their project that were shared on social media.
“The care packages contain a variety of items, such as a memorial baby book, a mold kit for handprints or footprints, a matching baby and parent bracelet set, a journal, ChapStick, a knitted hat, a children’s book, an animal lovey and an announcement letterboard,” said Kristen. “Addy is a huge help – she likes making bracelet for the care packages.”
They kits are donated to local hospitals, including Aurora Medical Center – Summit, where Kristen received care. The Labor and Delivery and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) teams distribute them to patients and families experiencing pregnancy loss. Since they began, Kristen and her family have donated dozens of care packages to Aurora Summit alone.
“It’s been therapeutic for us and helps keep Emmy’s memory alive. We do this to honor her life and to support families in similar situations. Stillbirth is such a common occurrence, and most people don’t even realize it. I hope our efforts give other parents experiencing loss a little bit of comfort knowing that there are people thinking of them.”
How you can help
Aurora Medical Center – Summit is part of Advocate Health, a not-for-profit organization that relies on the generosity of donors to support many of its programs and services. There are many ways to make a difference for teammates, patients and families. Learn more.
*Statistic according to the Centers for Disease Control