Project Luca
As I sat in the hospital on the evening of April 22, 2010 two women stood in the corner of my room. I had never met either one but I will be forever grateful that they were there for me during my darkest hour.
They came because they too had been there before. They came because they knew what nightmare I was going through. They too had held their own angel babies, had looked at their sweet faces one last time before laying them to rest.
The two women, Rachael and Julie, are volunteers for a non-profit organization named Utah Share. They are part of a group of several volunteers who race to the hospital at all hours of the day to be there for other parents who experience a loss.
They took care of my sweet baby Luca when I didn’t have the strength to. They cradled him in their arms as if he was their own. They washed his perfect little body and took prints of his hands and feet. They placed him in a Mickey Mouse Huggies Diaper and wrapped him in a soft duck-print blanket.
They imprinted his foot and hand and formed white resin molds – keepsakes I will cherish forever.
I will never forget the selfless service of these two women. They were brave enough to visit me and care for my angel baby when I needed them most.
This year in honor of Luca’s memory, our family would like to give back to the same organization that was there for us when he died.
Please join us April 22, 2014 as we once again collect and donate items to Utah Share for other angel families.
If you would like to donate in Luca’s memory, visit http://www.utahshare.org/donate/ for a list of current needs. If you’d like, you can send me a message and I’ll pick up your donation or arrange to meet you. This year my family and I are going to try to donate some of the following items that Share is currently in need of:
* Stamps
* Regular white paper or pastel cardstock
* 1/4 inch sheer white ribbon
* Glad Press-N-Seal, quart/gallon Ziploc bags
* Preemie and newborn clothing
* Thank you cards
* Ribbons, stickers, buttons and other embellishments
Many of the families who Utah Share helps have babies who are too tiny for newborn clothes. If you would like to make small gowns, wraps or diapers for these tiny babies the following websites offer simple patterns:
http://angeloutfitters.blogspot.com/2014/02/Angeloutfittersteenytunics.html
http://www.utahshare.org/patterns/blanket-wrap/
http://www.utahshare.org/patterns/diapers/
http://angeloutfitters.blogspot.com/2013/05/angel-outfitters-bunting-tutorial-new.html
Here are some pictures of items that have recently been donated to Utah Share. This gives you an idea of acceptable donations.
Boogers on the Wall 