Memphis honors lost lives on National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Saturday is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. The day honors the lives lost to miscarriage.

According to the CDC, pregnancy and infant loss affects one in four women. Every year, about 90,000 infants die before the age of one. Needless to say, as those numbers suggest, infant loss affects many people, including some Mid-South women.

“I don’t know who I would be today without having met my daughter for the 31 days I did,” said Ruth Huey. “I’m thankful that I got that, some people don’t get that.”

Huey only got to spend 31 days with her newborn. Her daughter’s death would give her inspiration to become a NICU nurse to help other grieving mothers.

“It took a very long time of course, to swallow the grief and find a purpose,” said Huey. “I find it very awarding to comfort parents or talk to parents who go through this tremendous loss just as I did. I didn’t think that, I didn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day serves to promote public awareness, greater research and understanding to aid in the creation and establishment of programs, resources and services to support and provide assistance to families and survivors of baby loss.

“Motherhood is hard,” said Huey. “The advice that I would give when going through such a loss no matter how early, how late, whenever. You can sit with it for a while but don’t stay there too long. And find someone else that you can help or reach out to because that’s the only way that pain is going to have a purpose.”

As a celebration of remembrance, the Helen James Foundation will partner with mighty lights and Methodist hospital to host a light show.

The lights will shine pink and blue on both the Hernando Desoto Bridge and Big River Crossing bridges.

The event is scheduled to begin around 6 p.m. Saturday at the Memphis Welcome Center.

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