Walk Allows Families To Honor Babies They've Lost

ALPHARETTA, GA -- Parents, families, friends and health care professionals are invited to walk and remember babies they’ve loved and lost.

The 12th annual Atlanta Walk to Remember, presented by Northside Hospital, will be held 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 2 at the Northside/Alpharetta Medical Campus.

“The Atlanta Walk to Remember is a wonderful opportunity for parents to commemorate their loss with the support of family and friends,” said Melissa Petersen, clinician at Northside Hospital H.E.A.R.T.strings Perinatal Bereavement Office. “It’s a great day for the community to come together to remember and celebrate our babies.”

The Northside Hospital H.E.A.R.T.strings Perinatal Bereavement Office provides families with a team of dedicated nurses, chaplains, bereaved parents and hospital staff trained to help, guide and support parents through their loss and journey toward healing. October is National SIDS, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.

About 450 people are expected to participate in this year’s Atlanta Walk to Remember. The free event begins with a brief program and is followed by a three-fourths of a mile short walk through the Northside/Alpharetta Medical Campus. Although the event receives support from Northside Hospital, anyone whose life has been touched by perinatal loss, regardless of where, is invited to attend. Children are welcome.

Ryan and Katie Bush of Atlanta are attending Walk to Remember with family and friends for the second year in a row on Oct. 2. The couple’s daughter, Hadley Kate Bush, passed away on July 26, 2015, due to complications involving her underdeveloped lungs as a result of congenital diaphragmatic hernia, or CDH.

“Going through the loss of a child gives you an entirely different perspective on just about every aspect of your life,” Katie Bush said. “This event is extremely special to us. It's a time for us to celebrate these amazingly strong and special children. It's a time to say and see our sweet babies' names out loud. It's a time where we can look to draw strength and inspiration from others like us who have lost.”

Each year, Katie and Ryan Bush host the Fore Hadley Golf Classic to honor Hadley’s life and to support families affected by CDH.

The Atlanta Walk to Remember is a free event that also accepts donations online during registration or at the event. Memorial bracelets will be available to order at the event for $30. Proceeds from sales, donations and sponsorships help to keep the event free for all to attend.

To register for the Atlanta Walk to Remember or to make a donation, click here. Northside Hospital's Alpharetta campus is located at 3400 Old Milton Parkway.

For more information about perinatal loss and Northside Hospital's H.E.A.R.T.strings Perinatal Bereavement Office, call 404-851- 8177 or visit www.northsidepnl.com.

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Image via Northside Hospital