1st Annual Idaho Walk to Remember

When I moved from Arizona to Idaho, I really missed the friends I had made at the support group. I began to feel very alone and that no one around me could understand how I felt. I would see women in stores and wonder if any of them had gone through a loss like mine and I really needed to find some support. I did find the Compassionate Friends, but they were support for all types of losses, not just babies. So, I decided to do something.

I started with organizing a walk that was similar to the one I had attended in Arizona. I called it "A Walk to Remember" and I was able to get donations from various companies and I worked with the hospitals in the area to get the walk advertised. It's usually not like me to be a leader like that, but I felt like it was really important to do this for JD. I also knew that there had to be others around the area like me that needed to remember their babies. So, with the help of my family and more courage I thought I had, it was held on October 13, 2007 at the Idaho State University Campus in Idaho Falls. There were 5 families and maybe about 30 people. Mom, Heather, Jeni and her family and Tammy and her husband and Evelyn and her family all came to help support me. We had a short program with poems and songs and the families were invited to share their own thoughts about their babies. We also gave each family a small wooden foot that my mom and I had made. They said "We Walk to Remember the Steps They Will Never Take" with the date and the baby's name. We then went on our short walk around Freeman Park and let our balloons go up to heaven. Although it was emotionally hard, it was a really special day and I am really glad I did it. I met some really special people and I no longer felt alone. It is my hope that this walk will continue and grow each year and will be a comfort to those who have felt the pain of losing a baby.

I then organized the support group. Our first meeting in Idaho Falls was in November 2007 and through it I have met some amazing women. Their stories break my heart, but their actions inspire me. Suzette crochets and makes tiny dresses and suits to donate to the hospitals and Christina makes blankets to give to newborns in the hospital and Cory makes bracelets to sell and gives the money to the March of Dimes. I also started a support group for Rexburg. Although the attendance is not always huge, I feel it is important to keep them going. These are the ways that I feel like I am being a mother to JD and it helps me when I am really missing him.

To see all the pictures of the walk and to get more info about the walk and support groups you can go to the website I created at http://www.eastidahoangelbabies.com/

The shirt I had made for Triston to wear to honor his big brother!