Walk to Remember in Arlington Heights will honor lost babies

Northwest Community Healthcare is hosting a memorial and walk around its hospital campus in Arlington Heights on Sunday to honor and remember all babies lost through miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth and newborn death.

The event begins at 2 p.m. Sunday with a memorial service in the hospital auditorium, followed by a walk around the NCH campus and a gathering at the Renew Through Sharing memorial garden, 800 W. Central Road, Arlington Heights.

According to national estimates, between 15 and 20 percent of all pregnancies in the U.S. end in miscarriage, defined as the loss of a fetus before the 20th week of pregnancy. Stillbirths - loss of pregnancy after the 20th week - affects about 1 percent of all pregnancies. Each year about 24,000 babies are stillborn in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Renew Through Sharing program at NCH provides support for those who are grieving the loss of their baby through ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, stillbirth, or newborn death.