In the grand tapestry of life, there are moments of extreme joy and heartbreaking sorrow. One of those moments is when a family loses their baby far too soon. For those families, it is the most unimaginable loss. It’s also the moment when many people are inspired to do something, anything, to help. One such effort is the creation of angel gowns, made from donated wedding dresses. These gowns are provided to hospitals, birthing centers and funeral homes — and directly to grieving families — free of charge.
Originally, the dresses are steamed and cut, and then sewn into small infant burial gowns or angel wraps. The idea is to give families a keepsake, something to hold on to when they go through the worst of times. Across the country and around the world, these programs have been created to ensure that no matter what stage of pregnancy an individual experiences an infant loss, they have a gown to remember their precious little one by.
These special garments are often only the first step in the journey of healing for families who experience an early loss. They may have other health care or social service professionals involved – nurses, chaplains, doctors, grief counselors and more. Many families say they don’t have enough time to process the death of their child, but they are grateful for the comfort and support offered by organizations such as Sunshine State Angel Gowns, which is based in Florida.
Allison Harris, audiologist at Akron Children’s Hospital in Ohio, and her mother, Susan Arnold, have donated four of their own wedding dresses to the organization. The gowns have been washed, cut and sewn into a dozen small bereavement gowns, baby bonnets and sleeping bags. They’ll be given to families whose little ones die at the hospital, or sent to parents who cannot make it home.
The dresses aren’t only being shipped to hospitals in Ohio, but across the country and into Canada. Mangiaracina says she’s received dresses from Puyallup, Washington; Portland, Oregon; and even Australia. She’s now collaborating with a seamstress in Spokane who also makes the gowns, and she hopes to expand her reach into hospitals throughout the region.
Anyone who wants to donate a dress can do so through the International Program. With this donation, donors follow the journey of their dress to a developing country (Guatemala is currently the destination) and have the option to virtually meet their seamstress, learn about her and her family.