MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Statistics show that on average Tennessee loses 564 babies a year to stillbirths and the rate is 6.92 per 1,000 live births.
A support group is hosting a ceremony to raise awareness and honor those who have experienced a stillbirth. The Celebration of Remembrance is set for Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, which is also National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day.
One Memphis woman, Maureen Piantedosi, who is a mom of three, had a stillborn back in 2019. She was eight months pregnant when she found out and said it was one of the hardest days of her life.
Piantedosi eventually joined the In His Arms Grief Support Group at Methodist Germantown Hospital, which hosts the Celebration of Remembrance and the Mighty Lights in Memphis every year.
It is a time for families to connect and reflect, through speeches, spoken word, singing, and more to remember their loved ones.
The event starts at 6 p.m. at the Shelby County Memphis Welcome Center on Riverside Drive, where there will be a candlelight vigil followed by a light show on ‘M’ bridge, which will run every half hour beginning at 6:30 p.m. until 10:30 p.m.
Piantedosi said it is a moving experience.
“I want people to talk about their babies or say their names. Anytime someone wants to talk to me about Nora, I love it. I think people know it’s upsetting, but it’s something I think about every single day.”
This is the 15th year of this event, and the Helen James Foundation, which is a non-profit that supports families who lose children to stillbirths, is the reason that the bridge will be lit up in pink and blue, which are the colors for pregnancy and infant loss awareness.
