One of the hardest things a parent can go through is the loss of their infant child. The grief is devastating, and it can last a lifetime. But there are some who, in the midst of this tragedy, find comfort in receiving something beautiful and meaningful to help them heal and carry their child’s memory with them. An angel gown, or bereavement gown, is a special garment made from a wedding dress that is lovingly transformed into a piece of art to provide families with a beautiful memory to hold on to in the years to come.
These special dresses are handmade by seamstresses all over the country, and they’re used to honor babies who do not get to go home from the hospital after birth. There are an estimated 626,000 stillbirths and miscarriages in the United States each year, so these gowns are desperately needed by families who need them.
Judi Grubbs, the president of NICU Helping Hands, is on a mission to help as many families as she can. She’s been able to make that happen through the support of her community. After a Facebook post, she received about 40 wedding dresses that her group of volunteer seamstresses turned into angel gowns for babies who never leave the hospital.
The organization is now offering their gowns to hospitals around the country, and they’re in high demand. To ensure that every family receives their special gown, the group has begun asking for help with shipping costs. “If we have any shipping delays, a family could miss having that gown,” Grubbs says. “That’s just something we want to avoid.”
Grubbs and her team don’t need wedding dresses at this time, but they do need people to donate money for the cost of shipping. She hopes that more people will see the needs of their community and offer to help, whether they can sew or not.
If you want to make a donation to help the angel gown program, please visit their website. You can also share this article on social media to help spread the word about this amazing organization.
About the Author: Lisa Haugen works in the nonprofit sector as a management consultant and holds an MPA from BYU’s Marriott School of Business. She has lived in Bolivia as a missionary and moved to Utah after completing her education. She loves to surround herself with people who are serving and making a difference in their communities.
Dignity Health – St. Mary’s Medical Center Long Beach is proud to partner with NICU Helping Hands to deliver precious Angel Gowns to families of newborns who do not survive their stay in the NICU. They are featured this month as our Hospital of the Month.
UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital offers a full range of world-class care to children of all ages and needs. Its unwavering commitment to families includes specialized emotional support and language services for non-English speaking parents, innovative therapies, and cutting-edge treatments.