Poignant ceremony attended by hospital staff and bereaved parents

In a poignant, candlelit ceremony, held after dark on Sunday last, October 15, staff from Regional Hospital Mullingar joined with families in remembrance of pregnancy and infant loss.

The hospital was one of the many buildings across the country that were lit up as part of a global wave of light organised in Ireland by Féileacáin, the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Association of Ireland (SANDAI).

Participation by the hospital staff was fuelled by a desire to let parents know that they are never alone and that their babies will never be forgotten.

SANDAI was formed in 2009 by a group of bereaved parents to offer support to anyone affected by the death of a baby around the time of birth, and the organisation is now the national charity supporting families affected by perinatal loss.

At 7 pm the hospital lit up, staff read poems;, families brought candles and remembered in silence as Kathryn Nea kindly provided music to honour the babies gone too soon but never forgotten.

The book of remembrance was available to view by families also.

Special thanks were extended to photographer John McCauley for volunteering to attend and take some photographs.