Beginning June 21 the Child Loss Support Group will hold its monthly sessions at Talbot Hospice for anyone dealing with the loss of a child of any age. Ongoing sessions will be held the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. at 586 Cynwood Drive. Summer dates are July 19, August 16 and September 20. The group sessions are free of charge and open to the public.
The Child Loss Support Group was founded in 1986 by Talbot Hospice volunteers Betts Guthrie, Millie Parrott, Rhonda Higginbottom and community members Rob and Lynn Sanchez following the loss of their 8-year-old son Rion. Higginbottom, who served as the group’s facilitator for more than 30 years, retired in January. “It seemed like a natural fit for Talbot Hospice to take on the Child Loss Support Group,” Sanchez said. “In fact, the group started at Talbot Hospice, and it has now come full circle going back there.”
The transition officially took place on June 3rd when the Child Loss Support Group held its annual Celebration of Life commemorating Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. The ceremony is held each year at the Healing Garden, located at the entrance of The Easton Club.The garden was established in 1998 by Child Loss Support Group members as a memorial to their children and a place to remember, meditate and pray. Butterflies are released at the Celebration of Life as a symbol of hope and new life.
“The death of a child is a special kind of loss and leaves parents and families feeling confused, vulnerable and fragile,” said Talbot Hospice Bereavement Coordinator Becky DeMattia. “The support group provides a safe place for parents to share and heal, and will focus on the special needs of parents, the grief experienced, the secondary losses, the impact on families, marriages, siblings and how to create meaningful rituals to honor the child’s life. Rob, Lynn and Rhonda have lovingly cared for this group for many years, and we are honored to bring the child loss group to our program”
For more information on the Child Loss Support Group or any Talbot Hospice bereavement session, contact Becky DeMattia at 410-822-6681 or [email protected]. A complete list of grief support groups can be found at TalbotHospice.org/programs/bereavement.
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