A Walk to Remember is an event that is dedicated for families and members of the community who want to support those who have experienced pregnancy or infancy loss. The walk will begin on Saturday September 15th at 1 pm at the Peace River Museum and will end at Riverfront park where there will be a bubble release.
Event organizer, Jamie Ellsworth, hopes that the event and having the town declare October 15th as Pregnancy and Infancy Loss Awareness day, will help people in the community feel more comfortable talking about this form of loss.
Ellsworth says “there are some statistics out there that say 15-20 per cent of pregnancies end in miscarriages. Some health care professionals believe it’s higher, that it’s 1 in 4, that’s just miscarriages, that’s not including stillbirths or infancy loss.”
There are no support groups for individuals or families who are struggling in Peace River, “even though Peace River delivers 400 babies a year, that’s not including the miscarriages which potentially have been 100 miscarriages,” says Ellsworth.
Ellsworth’s advice is ” don’t be afraid to support those or to ask the family what they need to feel supported.” She hopes that in time people can feel less alone in their grief by either reaching out to their loved ones or by finding resources that can help them cope.
This is the first year that Peace River will have the walk and will observe National Pregnancy and Infancy Loss day on October 15th.
-LG
