Letters
Actual Letters Received from Families and Hospital Staff
| Dear Bonnie, Today marks 10 years since my son was born. I have seen many
dark and looming Mays. This year I vowed to make May different.
To spend it doing all of the things I would do if I was given
the time to spend with Cameron. From the bottom of my heart, Amy |
| We had a baby born at the UVA hospital in Charlottesville, VA with a congenital heart defect in 2011. Unfortunately her open heart surgery was unable to repair the heart and she only lived 11 days. We were the receipient of a beautiful memory box to take home with the few things we had from our hospital stay. My 8 year old daughter has enjoyed looking through the box to help her remember her little baby sister. In 2012 we attended a special Memorial service held at the hospital and received another beautifully painted memory box to take home with us that day. It was another welcome treasure. We were hoping that you would be able to pass along this thank you to the wonderful ladies who donated their time and talent to provide us with our cherished memory boxes. The slips of paper in our boxes had the following names: Brenda Hockman and Mary Ladge or Jadge (not sure of the spelling).
Adam and Stacy Nielson |
| Hi Joyce and Joann This is why we do what we do! |
| "Thank you to the artists who in their unique caring way acknowledge the brief life of a dear infant born to loving parents. You help ease their grief.
Family&Child Life Services Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital" |
| I just received a nice thank you letter and wanted to share it with everyone: We received our Memory Boxes and they are wonderful. Thank you
for making, sending and the love that is given with each box - Bronson Bereavement Office Hugs, |
| Thank you to all of you, I recently a shipment of boxes last week that are beautiful! We do so appreciate your compassion and talent. I have Joann Ritchie as the coordinator of the Evergreen MB Artists of Eastern Washington state. My staff nurses helped me put them into safe storage in my office and they were very touched. God's Blessings, Jill Krieg, RNC-OB, C-EFM, CLC |
| Hello , My name is John French , I am sadly the owner of one of your
memory boxes . What you all do really matters !!!!!! John French |
| I just wanted to drop a line to
say thank you to the artists of this |
| Thank you so very much for the 24 infant memory boxes. Each one of them is so sweetly and thoughtfully painted. The day I received them , one of our nurses in the NICU informed me of a bereavement situation that would be happening within the afternoon. He said "his" baby was partial to pink and butterflies. Wouldn't you know...because there are angels like you, this family received a memory box symbolizing their little girl so wonderfully. Sincerely, Hugs, |
| We received the boxes your volunteers sent. They
are absolutely beautiful! Would you thank everyone for us? All
of my staff are so touched that something so beautiful could be
painted with love and sent across the US to Brownsville. Wow!
Thanks again, Karen Karen Rhodes, RN-BC, BSN, MHRDirector- Women's
ServicesValley Regional Medical Center100 Alton |
| To all who supply, paint and ship your lovely artwork to hospitals......Thank You So Very Much. I coordinate the perinatla loss program here at Moutn Clemens Regional Medical Center in Mt. Clemens, Michigan and this thank you comes from myself, our nursing staff and our patients. These boxes are provided to families who have lost an infant (of any age or gestation). They may use it as they wish. We suggest that they place any items they choose in the box to remember the baby lost too soon. We provide footprints, ID bracelets, any blankets, clothing, hats, booties, etc that were used with their babies. We also provide tape measures used to measure baby's length, photos and a lock of hair if the parents consentm and a small gold baby ring from the birthing center. We also provide a soft teddy bear so that our parents don't have to leave the hospital with empty arms. So for those who have questions, I hope this provides the information you desire. During the time of loss, so much happens to these families and any small bit of comfort we provide is much appreciated. So for all the hard work, talent and caring you provide, once again a huge THANK YOU. Have a great day, Rose Rose Mrosewske RNC, BSN, IBCLC |
| Dear Janice, |
| This is carol clevenger from Summa City Hospital in Akron, Ohio - I just received 2 bags of boxes from the Western Reserve Group and would like to thank them so much for bringing them to me - they were absolutely perfect and we appreciate them so much. Thank you for your program and all you do!! |
| Hi to everyone! "Virginia, Thank you so much for your hard work and gift
to our bereavement support program. Our families are touched so
deeply by the boxes we are given to put keepsakes of handprints,
teddy bears, pictures, I.D. bands, tape measures, clothes, hats
and blankets inside. The boxes you made were so detailed and beautiful!
Also, thank you for the "treasure box" what a sweet
idea!! May God bless you for your heart. Signed Deborah Ernst,
RN I hope you enjoyed the note I received, it simply made my day
when it came in the mail. |
| Anne, |
| Hello, this message is for Ginger
German who created the lovely memory box for my family. |
| Our Chapter received the following note that came addressed through our website: My daughter Laken was born April 8th of last year. Tomorrow will
be her 1st Melissa |
| Thank you to Joyce Powers and Donna
Kendall of Washington for their |
| Dear Joyce, |
| Hello Donna, |
| Hi Brenda, |
| I thought I would share with you
a thank you that I received from "I received the 6 boxes you sent and I could not be more
pleased. They Donna Howard, Manito IL |
| Dear Joyce, On behalf of our "With Empty Arms" Program here at Tacoma General Hospital, I am writing to thank you for the beautiful memory boxes you so generously donated to our program. I am honored to be the person to give the families a hand painted memory box. Families are able to keep their precious baby's belongings in a beautiful box that was painted with love. This is such an important way for families to receive support and help them in their grief journey. These boxes give families the opportunity to keep their baby's belongings in one place and they can display it in their home. When family and friends see the hand painted memory box it allows an opportunity for conversation that is healing rather than trying to say something that may end up being hurtful. Thank you for your generosity, time, and most of all love of others. May God bless you all for being silently there and giving so much without asking for anything in return. As always, |
| Good Morning, I recently received three different shipments of beautiful memory
boxes. One of the boxes contained an unidentifiable return address
and I am unable to send that individual a thank you letter. Thank you, |
| Received by Admin Thank you . . . Thank you We received 9 boxes this afternoon. How grateful we are to you all. We’ve sent a thank you card to the Black Hills Decorative Artists. Rosemary W. Horgan |
| Received by Program Chair Dear Brenda, I have just received several memory boxes from the organization. I saw Joyce Carlson's name in one of the boxes and I saw another name on the return address label (I think it was Ellerton?--sorry). The boxes are absolutely beautiful! I can see a lot of time and effort went into them. We truly appreciate all the members of the memory box organization. Thank you very much, |
| Received by admin from Both Marsha and I wish to thank you for the handpainted boxes
for our grief program. I am so happy that we were able to connect
with your program. |
| Received through the Mailing List From: "Peroutka, Mary"
|
| Received by Admin Thank you so much for the memory boxes your group provides for us. I cannot tell you how appreciative we are to have access to your beautiful work. Our families tell us all the time how much it means to them to have such a lovely keepsake. We feel so responsible for trying to help just a little to soothe the ache our families feel and you are such an integral and important part of our ability to do so.
Thank you again. Linda Phillips, LCSW |
| Received by one of our MB Artists "Dear Joyce, Thank you so very much for your beautiful gift of time, talent, & creativity displayed in your memory boxes. Myself & the nursing staff at Lankenau Hospital are very grateful & appreciative to receive these boxes and have them as part of our bereavement program. Our parents are thankful to have these boxes to store their precious & only memories of their baby. The gift you give is very special. Thank you for all you do. With gratitude, |
| Received by one of our MB Artists Brenda, I just received a shipment of memory boxes and I just wanted to thank you ,also, for your work with this program. The boxes are always so special and beautiful, each one unique. Thank you for all you do for families you will never meet. Mary |
| Received by one of our MB Artists Thank you so much for the beautifully painted memory boxes for
our bereavement program. Our patients love them and make so many
positive comments about them. You guys truly are angels and we
appreciate all that you do. |
| Received by one of our MB Artists Dear Friends, |
| Received by one of our MB Artists Good Morning Judy,
|
| From: Marianne Allen On behalf of Pinnacle Health Perinatal Bereavement Services, our perinatal bereavement counselors, and our nursing staff, I want to express gratitude and appreciation to Penns Woods Painters for providing the lovely memory boxes that have provided comfort to our bereaved families having pregnancy losses including stillbirths and newborn deaths. Your generosity has enabled our staff to give the beautiful hand-decorated boxes to parents to help them collect and establish memories of their precious babies, at a time when saying “hello” and “good-bye” is so very, very short. The parents fill their memory boxes with their babies’ footprints cards, pictures, ultrasound photos, clothing, blankets, poems, and toys—anything that provides tangible memories of their babies. The staff is supported by being able to offer the parents a beautiful memento that provides comfort to them. Some parents have related to me that their memory box has been placed on a shelf dedicated to their baby, along with framed photographs, a baby blanket, and the urn holding their baby’s ashes. One parent has told me how important and significant the gift of the memory box was to them and how it touched them that strangers would reach out to provide comfort to them at the time of their loss. Another parent was so affected by the meaning of the gift of the memory box that she and her family have made and donated baby blankets to help others create memories of their babies—mementos that bereaved families can place in their memory box just as they did. Many patients have chosen to place the ashes of their babies contained in a soft cloth and lace envelope in the memory box they received when their baby was born. Several parents have also told me that they periodically open up their memory boxes and look at the mementos, especially during anniversary dates such as their due date, date of baby’s death, and holidays. Although there is sadness, there is comfort and peace in the memories of their babies. I appreciate Penns Wood Painters’ continuing to provide
Pinnacle Health System with the memory boxes that helps our families
with pregnancy losses begin their work of healing from their grief. Marianne Allen, RNC, MN |
| Date: Thursday, September 24, 2009, 8:26 PM
My name is Sheri Lucius and I am the Perinatal Loss Coordinator at Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital in the Harris Birthing Center. I wanted to thank you for sending us the beautiful Memory Boxes that we present to our H.U.G.S. ((Help, Understanding, Grief, Support) is the name of our perinatal loss program) parents. They are always touched and honored that someone who does not even know them ‘gets it’…their baby(s) are special and loved by not just them as parents but by others who respect them as having made a difference in this world even if they only live a short time or never take a breath. We give our parents numerous mementos that they place in their boxes. From outfits, blankets, bracelets, locks of hair, castings of their baby(s) hands and feet, pictures, frames, flower seeds, ceramic hearts, scrap book pages and footprints to name a few. Thank you from all the parents you have touched and will continue to touch…your kindness does make a difference. J HUGS…………Sheri and the H.U.G.S. team.
|
| Monday, August 17, 2009 5:54 PM Michelle Lindsay, BSN, RN |
| Dear Loretta & all of the memory box artists, Elizabeth W. |
| Dear Joyce, I want to express my sincere thanks for the beautiful memory boxes donated by the Evergreen Memory Box Artists of Spokane, WA. Since I do not have their contact information, I hope it is possible to pass along this "thank you" to them. We absolutely love the boxes, and they have been such a wonderful addition to what we can provide families at the loss of the child. The hard work and creativity of the artists does not go unnoticed! Each individual painted box is very much appreciated by not only me but also the staff and families. Since working in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit I have come to realize just how important these boxes are for our families. They are perfect for holding the memory making items we have here at the hospital (hand and foot molds, memory hearts, lock of hair, etc), as well as precious items that the families want to keep in a special place. The boxes are such a wonderful gift to be able to provide families during a very difficult time. Thank you again for all of your hard work and your caring heart. We are truly fortunate to have such wonderful people who are willing to use their talents to provide a precious gift to these families. Your thoughtfulness and dedication to reaching out to others is truly heartwarming, and WE ARE GRATEFUL! With Warm Appreciation, |
| Donna; |
| 05/18/2009 Dear Brenda, Today we received a lovely selection of beautiful tole memory
boxes for our Moms experiencing perinatal loss here in the Family
Childbirth Center. They are a welcome addition to our other mementos
that we carefully chose and save for these parents during the
difficult days surrounding the loss of a baby or pregnancy. Sincerely,
Jan Moeller, RNC |
| 04/17/2009 My son was stillborn on April 17th, 2009. As pat of their grievance program I was given a memory box that was painted by Debbie Jones. My hope is that a copy of this will reach her as well. My family was very unprepared for this event in our life. This memory box was one of the best things my family received. It is already stuffed full with everything we could keep to remember Gabriel. It means so much to my family to know that there are people out there that care, that do not even know us. We will have the memories to last a lifetime. Thank you all so much for giving us something to keep them in.
To Debbie: The design on the box was perfect. The letter says that it was based on a design from Pam Haucock. The little baby in the moon. It really was very comforting. Thank you.
Thank you, Natasha, Clinton and Jazmyn Baker Mother, Father and Sister of Gabriel Baker Crouse Hospital Syracuse NY April 17th 2009, 11:58 Am |
| 04/18/2009 im a mom and my son passed away |
| 04/02/2009 Dear Barbara, I received in the mail 6 beautiful boxes made by you. Thank-you so much on behalf of their recipients. I'm the bereavement coordinator here at the hospital and give the boxes out when patients have a loss. They mean so much to them, knowing that someone is so thoughtful. Thanks again. |
| 3/16/2009 Hi B, All of my boxes are made from recycled materials and colored pencils and water color are my medium. The paper I cover my boxes with is acid free post product from the printing process. The mat board is mostly acid free and are scraps given to me by a wonderful frame shop. All my boxes are coated twice inside and out.
|
I just wanted to thank you so much for the beautiful memory boxes
that we received at Port Huron Hospital. They were so creative
and unique. We were so pleased with the boxes. We, of course,
use the boxes to give our parents who have lost a baby. They get
to take the momentos that they receive at the hospital home in
the box. The boxes that you sent are the perfect size. The artwork
was just precious. In the past we received some boxes that were
somewhat inappropriate for the occasion. They had sayings like
"baby boy and baby girl" on them and this is not something
that the parents want at this time. Our favorites out of your
boxes were the rainbows and butterflies. Many parents have symbols
that are discrete that remind them of their loss. 
Again,
thank you so much for sending these boxes. Let me know if you
will sending more. We never know when we are going to use them.
Having a few more would be very helpful. We try to keep about
20 boxes on hand because it seems like these patients come in
rashes unfortunately. | 03/03/2009
Artists Paint Memory Boxes for Families A group of artists were looking for opportunities to expand their
craft when they spotted a notice about painting memory boxes for
families of infants who pass away in the hospital. ©Washington Missouri 2009 |
| 03/02/2009 Hi everyone - I received a nice thank you card from the hospital I shipped to and wanted to share: Dear Artists, Hugs, |
| 02/26/2009 - From a chapter We had a special guest, Kristyne, at the meeting who touched
our hearts as she told us of the loss of her daughter when she
was only 6 months pregnant and the feelings that she had when
she recieved one of our Memory Boxes. She opened her box, which
had been created by Rho, and explained each of the items that
she keeps there. These included photos, a knitted blanket with
matching knitted rose buds, the tiny dress & hat that her
daughter wore in the hospital, CDs with more photos taken by the
hospital of her daughter, ID bracelets, a special booklet which
contains the tiniest footprints & handprint I have ever seen,
and many more items which she treasures and will keep forever
in her special Memory Box. |
| 02/12/2009 Anne, I just received several wonderful memory boxes and I wanted to thank you all so much. They are beautiful and perfect for our program. The artist was Karen Strubel. If you can get a message to her, please thank her and let her know how much we appreciate her sensitivity, time, creativity and generous spirit. Our mom's will keep these boxes forever and it is such a beautiful way to hold their babies memories. Thanks so much, Nancy Goldman Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center, Virginia |
| 02/11/2009 On behalf of our "With Empty Arms" program here at
Tacoma General Hospital, I am writing to thank you for the beautifully
hand painted memory boxes you so generously provided for us. |
Dear Marie,
I want to thank you for the quick response to our request for more memory boxes for our bereavement program. We used five so quickly and had only one cute pink heart box left. But Judy did send us three beautiful ones and today another box arrived stuffed full of pearly colored ones. Now our cabinet that stores them all locked safe is full and I hope it is many months before we need more.
Our families have expressed appreciation for such unique boxes to store their baby mementos in. Pass our appreciation on to all the painters and angels who help create these special boxes from our nurses and the grieving families. Hope your sunny spring is as beautiful there in the west as it is in Arkansas. You are in our thoughts.
Nancy Meneley RN, SHARE Coordinator, Baptist Health
Dear Mary,
Thank you so much for the lovely memory boxes that you made for our
hospital. The painting is beautiful that you did. We appreciate the
different sizes as people are very different as to what they would like.
I find it best to bring them to the office to pick one. Usually there
is one that they "love" for a special reason. It is wonderful
to see them connect in that way to what someone unknown has made for
them. Thank you for your kindness.
Sandra Hanawalt, Social Worker, Richmond Hospital, Canada
Dear Marie,
Just wanted to let you know I received last week the first shipment
of memory boxes, and I was so taken aback and the beauty and quality
of the product. It was perfect, because we had just had a loss the day
before, so when presented to the family, it brought tears to their eyes.
As a mother who lost a newborn 16 yrs ago, this is a priceless possession,
and your gift for these families will last forever in their child's
memories
Joan Rooney, Louisiana.
Janie,
We feel so fortunate to be blessed with receiving the beautiful memory
boxes; they will become a central part of the healing for out bereaved
families. The work you do is so meaningful both to the families and
the staff who provide care. You will forever reside in our hearts
Loss Committee Staff of Shady Grove Rockville, Md
Thank you very much for the memory boxes that you sent to Salina Regional Health Center. They are beautiful! The love and detail in their making is obvious. We appreciate you wanting to reach out to the families in our area that have had a baby die. Please thank the people that made them for us. I know our families will cherish their memory box.
Sincerely,
Cindy Eller SHARE Coordinator Salina Regional Health Center
Loretta,
Earlier this week I had a patient who lost a baby and was given a memory
box by one of our nurses. She has already lost two other babies in previous
years. When I went to visit her after the baby died she told me it was
the first time someone had given her such a precious gift. She said,
as she clutched the box to her heart, that holding the box filled with
her baby's keepsakes was like holding her baby. Thought I would pass
this along for you to share with Gerry and the others.
Ann, Sentara Hospital, Virginia
My husband and I received a Memory Box created by you from the nurses and Unit 51 of the Foothills Hospital. We just wanted to share with you a little about the memories we'll treasure in it.
Our baby girl, Mandy Elizabeth, was born and died on May 4, 2001. Our tiny angel was afflicted with severe cystic hygroma as well as Turner's Syndrome. She was 21 weeks gestation when I delivered her and was stillborn. We got to hold her right away. She weighed a little over a pound and was 9 inches long, so fragile and so innocent. Later the nurse brought her back to us and gave us the Memory Box containing a little outfit they had put on her to take pictures, the roll of film and some booties. There were also a few Polaroid shots and her hospital bracelet.
We hadn't thought about any of these things ahead of time, the pictures, a blanket... The Memory Box and its contents are something we will always treasure. It and our love are all we have to remember our baby girl and we want to thank you for providing grieving parents with such a gift. In Mandy's memory, we plan to contribute something similar because it has meant so much to us, it's important for other parents to have something as well. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Karen and Kevin
Dear Ms Heath,
On behalf of the Patient and Family Resources Department at the University of Florida, we sincerely thank you for your thoughtful donation of two memory boxes to families who have experienced the death of a baby here at Shands. The memory boxes are so beautiful, personal, and touching. This is a special way for family members to remember and, show that others care about their healing from their loss. We are proud you are part of this program. Thank you!
Once again, thank you for your generosity and thoughtfulness to the families here at Shands.
Sincerely, Gwendolyn Robinson, LCSW
Sammie!!
Today I received the six memory boxes you created. Thank you. Words will never express adequately how meaningful these boxes are to families. Perhaps it comes to focus when you reflect that in this lovely box are all that this baby has ever had or will ever have...but what surrounds the box is the love and affection shared by you and by his parents. Thank you.
Warmest regards, Jane
Please accept our heartfelt, but belated, Thanks for the beautiful memory box for Jacob. We are so touched and grateful! The box is so beautiful - and it holds some of our most precious mementos of Jacob ... his little stuffed Tigger, the outfit he wore, his ID bands from the hospital - all the little things we need to go back and touch when we want to be close to him. ..... May God bless you for all the love and comfort you are giving to parents suffering the loss of a child.
Dear Kay,
The loss of a loved one brings us to our knees. The journey of grief
is made more difficult by American society's denial and lack of understanding
of this journey that we all must take some time in our lives. Those
of us working with bereaved families are constantly amazed at the gifts
we receive from the grieving families and those who support the work
we do. It is truly amazing grace, manifested in our daily lives. All
of you who support our work and all of the families who share this most
difficult journey remind us of our humanity and thereby make us more
compassionate, remind us of our mortality and thereby make us grateful
for each of the moments in our days and the loved ones in our lives,
show us courage and inspire us to stretch beyond our ordinary vision.
We feel honored to have people like you dedicated to the important work
that we do. I will mail the card on Monday. We are planning a memorial
garden for our families. When it is planted, we will have a dedication
ceremony. We will be inviting all of the people who have supported our
perinatal loss program, as well as the bereaved families. I will keep
you posted. It is an important thing that you do...involving the girl
scouts. It shares the compassionate side of grief that insists that
we grow and learn and teaches us that even in sorrow there is love,
life and hope. Maybe your girl scouts will be less afraid of death through
their gentle exposure through you work. Blessings to all of you and
again our deepest thanks.
This is just a sampling of the hundreds and hundreds of letters received
by the program and it's recipients but it gives an idea of the impact
the program has had.