Bereavement Fund
The loss of a child is an insurmountable heart break. Riley Hospital for Children's NICU sees on average 80 babies go to their heavenly home too soon each year. We were blessed with beautiful memory keepsakes of our sweet Angel Cameron through the Riley Bereavement Foundation.
Our most precious possession, the molds done of our son’s feet and hands. They are on display has a beautiful reminder of our amazing 28 days with our incredible gift from above.
We had started this fundraiser as a way to remember our son and to give back to the Riley nurses and staff who gave so much of themselves to us. The annual expense for the bereavement fund is $10,000 and most of this is raised and supported by Riley nurses, staff and family members who want to guarantee this program keeps going. Unfortunately, funding for the bereavement program has declined and been inconsistent over the last couple years.
This is a self-funded program and we couldn't imagine others not having the services this program provides. Events like ours and others that help raise money are greatly needed and appreciates. I could not imagine if the day came where parents would not be blessed by what this program has provided us.
Nobody expects to bury their child, imagine spending days or months in the NICU only to have to plan a funeral. The last thing on a parent’s mind is picking out a casket or figuring out a way to pay for it. When we found out the bereavement fund helped provide caskets along with photos, bereavement support books, beaded bracelets, among other keepsake, we knew we wanted to support this however we could.
The memory keepsakes we have of our son our priceless! They remind us every day how fortunate we were to have our son and how precious life is. We know how important these gifts from Riley mean to us, we will do everything we can to make sure other parents have these gifts too.
- The NICU Bereavement Council helps provide families with:
o Photos-These photos are taken by professional photographers if they are able to come in.
o Keepsakes
o Bereavement Support Books
o Hand Molds
o CDS-compact disc can be downloaded with all the pictures families have taken along with the professional photographer’s pictures.
o Beaded Bracelets
o Caskets
