Northwest Community Healthcare hosts 2017 Walk to Remember

Northwest Community Healthcare is hosting a memorial and walk around the hospital campus at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 1, to honor and remember all babies lost through miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth and newborn death. Anyone grieving the loss of a baby is invited to attend.

The walk is presented by Northwest Community Healthcare's Renew through Sharing program which supports families grieving the loss of a baby. Shauna and Steve Loftus and their entire family walked last year to honor their stillborn son Declan.

"The walk was a way to honor Declan and keep his memory alive," Shauna said.

The Loftus family was joined by about 50 other families at last year's event, which featured an environmentally friendly bubble celebration instead of the traditional balloon release done in previous years.

"It was a beautiful thing to be surrounded by bubbles," said the program's organizer Jill Kottmeier, Northwest Community Healthcare Perinatal Palliative Care coordinator. "It was a magical activity that parents don't get to do with their babies so it means a lot."

The day will begin with a memorial service in the hospital auditorium, followed by a walk around the Northwest Community Hospital campus and a gathering at the Renew through Sharing Memorial Garden, 800 W. Central Road, Arlington Heights.

To learn more about Northwest Community Healthcare's Renew through Sharing program, contact Kottmeier at (847) 618-8415, or jkottmeier@nch.org.