Walk to Remember honors the children who died in southern Arizona

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month… a time for people to honor and remember babies who have died from miscarriage, stillbirth or other infant death, which is exactly what some of the Tucson community did on Sunday , October 27.

Losing a baby during or immediately after pregnancy is not a topic that people feel comfortable talking about, but talking about it can do a lot to help families cope with such a painful loss.

Dozens of families who lost a child in this way came together to commemorate their lives, led by Sherokee Ilse, who suffered a miscarriage and stillbirth of her son Brennan. She said there was no support she needed on that terrible day.

“They had no idea how to help us, so I made it my mission to change the paradigm and help people: nurses, doctors, social workers, chaplains, funeral directors, to better know how to help people,” Ilse said.

Ilse says it’s a secret club that no one wants to be a part of – after losing an infant at such a young age – and this secret makes it difficult to find help.

“I think the concept of a child dying is unbelievable,” Ilse said. “People don’t want to know this is happening and have never really been taught what to say or how to help, so we need to change that.”

“At my previous places I worked, we would say, ‘OK, sorry, good luck,’ and they would leave,” said Bernadette O’Grady, a Genesis nurse.

It helps turn the tide by providing families with opportunities to connect and the emotional tools their loved ones need to grieve.

“We can provide these patients with leaflets, books, information, love, support and help them get through this,” O’Grady said. “It’s really great to be a part of it.”

The resources needed for the event are available year-round here in southern Arizona. If you want to learn more, you can find them Here.