Regina Cyzick Harlow lost her infant daughter only 17 hours after she was born. Currently, about 28,000 babies die during the first year of life every year in the United States. While the death of a child at any age is tragic, the grief that comes with the loss of a newborn infant hours, days, or sometimes months after their birth brings its own unique kind of grief.
Harlow joins Shaping Families radio program on August 21 in an interview where she shares her struggle as well as encouragement to other parents. She works as a part-time journalist and started a nonprofit organization, The Sadie Rose Foundation, named after her daughter, which provides the services she found she needed most when she was grieving. She said, “There’s that initial period where you’re getting lots of phone calls, a lot of visitors, and you’re getting a lot of food. And then there was about two months down the road where I would have times where I couldn’t pull myself together enough emotionally to fix a meal.” Her foundation partners with families to help provide on-going support that they need down the road as well as during the initial crisis.
Shaping Families radio program airs each weekend on 17 local radio stations and can be heard online at www.ShapingFamilies.com. Also featured at the website is a weekly blog by host Burton Buller, a weekly recipe from Shaping Families staff and contributors, a study guide useable by small groups and Sunday school classes, and many additional resources. Shaping Families is produced by Third Way Media through Mennonite Mission Network.
