In the grand tapestry of life, there are moments of immense joy and heartbreaking sorrow. And when those incredibly sad moments involve losing a baby, special garments known as angel gowns can give families a small comfort in their loss. One woman in Hot Springs Village, Arkansan has turned the first floor of her home into a workshop where she crafts tiny angel gowns for babies and gives them to hospitals across the country.
She started the project after her cousin lost a premature infant and found that hospitals everywhere had a need for these special gowns. Each gown is made from a donated wedding dress, so each has its own story of love and loss.
The first time Judi Lee, a labor and delivery nurse at Baylor All Saints Medical Center in Dallas, saw an angel gown for babies who don’t survive birth, she knew she wanted to be part of the group that makes them. Her sister-in-law and mother had both experienced the loss of a child, and she knows that grieving parents often have to dig through the hospital’s lost and found tub to find something small to dress their baby in.
So when she saw a Facebook post seeking more bridal dresses to use to make the gowns, she was thrilled to learn that NICU Helping Hands, a group of seamstresses across the country, had an urgent need for more wedding dresses. She quickly began coordinating local sewing parties, and now her network of 44 seamstresses has made more than 450 angel gowns that she delivers to local hospitals.
Each gown costs about $50 to make. It’s a cost that Judi Lee pays out of her own pocket, but she says the money is well worth the effort, as each gown helps families in their time of grief and loss. “It’s a way of saying that I care about this person and their family,” she said.
Judi Lee also says that it’s important to her that the dresses are made by people who have lost a child, because they know what a parent goes through. They want to ensure the family of each baby that receives a gown has the best possible experience.
ND Angel Gowns distributes their creations to hospitals, including the NICU at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital in Long Beach, Calif. Pictured here are NICU Manager Martina Ruiz and Silvia Noriega from Angel Gowns of South Bay delivering the hospital’s initial box of angel gowns.
Dignity Health – St Mary Medical Center is proud to be part of the NICU Helping Hands program and has many resources that can be helpful for families. To learn more, visit our website today. We are committed to providing high-quality, patient-centered care that is accessible to our communities. We offer state-of-the-art technologies, access to innovative therapies and specialized emotional support services to provide a nurturing environment. We serve patients from our communities in Pomona, Chino Hills and throughout San Bernardino County.