Grieving families and their loved ones gathered in Wagga’s Victory Memorial Gardens on Sunday for a moving but hopeful day to remember their lost babies.
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Hundreds spilled into the gardens for the second annual Remembrance Walk organised by Bloss, a local support group for families that have lost a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth, or a neonatal death.
Ruth Hutchins, who is one of Bloss’s four founding mothers who all lost a baby, said the day was about honouring the region’s lost babies and extending supporting families going through the same struggles.
“We all found there was that lack of support, and just talking to other mums that had gone through what we’d gone through was so important, because it’s such an isolating experience,” Ms Hutchins said.
“It’s such a nice feeling to have everybody come together for this one cause, because everybody here’s been affected in some way.”
The day offered something for everyone – games and a jumping castle for the kids, live music, food, sweets, markets, coffee, and plenty of support for grieving families.
After reading the names of 36 lost babies from local families, each family collected a flower and placed it in the Wollundry Lagoon as a way to honour their memories.
Ms Hutchins said a lot of the money they raised on Sunday would go towards creating support packs that hospitals can hand out to grieving parents.
“We've asked mums today to put the name down of the baby they lost, and those packs will go to a family in honour of those babies,” she said.
“We lost Gabrielle in 2012, but I always felt there was something missing, so this has given me a sense of purpose, and it’s a comfort to know that we're helping other families.”
Grandmother Di Francis, whose daughter Katie Francis helped start Bloss after losing her daughter Lara in 2016, said she was incredibly proud of the community they had created.
“It’s a beautiful day to recognise our babies and I’m just very proud of our girls – it’s absolutely amazing and the feeling here is just beautiful,” Ms Francis said.
“I’ve been around and had a look at all the stalls and, after hearing quite a bit about what people have gone through, I’ve been very emotional.”
You can reach out and connect with Bloss via their Facebook page.
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