Walk to Remember celebrates lives of children lost too soon
They’ve heard the words no parents think they could bear, endured a pain unimaginable to most.
But rather than run from it, suppress it or try to move past it, they want to remember.
The tiny wisps of their baby’s hair, the softness of their baby’s cheek, the overwhelming feeling of their baby in their arms.
The moments before they had to find the strength to bury their babies.
They want to remember the babies they lost too soon, those who were stillborn or died in infancy. Those whose birthdays are often overlooked, whose names are rarely mentioned by people hoping to spare their parents the pain of remembering.
On Saturday, Oct. 15, they will remember. Parents — and siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, family friends — will gather for a ceremony and the Walk to Remember, an event that aims to celebrate the lives of children who died before birth or in infancy.
The seventh annual Walk to Remember opens with a memorial service at 9 a.m. at the Riverwalk Grand Pavilion, west of Centennial Beach in Naperville. Babies’ names will be read aloud and each family will be given a white rose. The walk — with the theme “Every passing life leaves something beautiful behind” — follows at 10:15 a.m. along the Riverwalk.
“We want walkers to reflect on the lives of their beautiful children and the way they continue to impact their lives, even after their passing,” said walk spokeswoman Megan Berck, who lost her daughter Elise after 26 weeks of pregnancy.
The walk aims to remember the children, support families in the wake of the death of a child, provide a safe and comfortable environment for support and growth, Berck said.
The donations made through the walk help fund projects through the Edward Hospital Foundation’s SHARE Program, which offers support to families touched by miscarriage, stillbirth or early infant death.
Today, three families give us a glimpse of life through loss.
If you go
If you go
What: A Walk to Remember
Why: Proceeds support the Edward Hospital Foundations SHARE Program, a support group for families touched by miscarriage, stillbirth and early infant death; and the Wings of Hope Angel Garden, which was dedicated at Edward Hospital in June 2010
When: Registration at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 15; memorial service at 9:30 a.m.; walk begins at 10:15 a.m.
Where: Riverwalk Grand Pavilion, west of Centennial Beach, 500 W. Jackson Ave., Naperville
Cost: Donations accepted
Info: NapervilleWalkToRemember.org