Dear friends, family, colleagues and kind strangers,
As most of you will know, our beautiful and much loved baby boy Callan Raphael Lê was born On Friday 22nd January 2016 at 09:48am without life. We are slowly moving forward on life's journey. However, moving forward after such a profound loss takes an enormous amount of strength. Losing a child is one of the most traumatic life events one can experience; it's not something you ever truly recover from. There are many experiential descriptions of the impact of loss; I would like to share one with you that I particularly relate to: http://oncomingalive.com/posts/the-colors-of-her/. If you prefer a visual explanation, I think this video offers a nice summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IDCYV74xpI. The problem with perinatal loss is that there are no formalized scripts about what to do; there is no clear or linear path to recovery. This makes healing a lifelong journey. It also means that we need a lot of help.
We have been incredibly fortunate that our local health authority operates a trial service called Integrated Support after Infant Loss (iSAIL) Clinic. The clinic is based at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (Sydney, Australia) and has been set up specifically for parents who have either had a baby die in the newborn period or have experienced the stillbirth of a baby. It is an incredibly important service that connects parents to health and mental health workers, coordinating care and acting as a general point of contact, at a time of dire need. Critically, it offers continuity of care as bereaved parents transition from hospital to community services. The iSAIL Clinic is receiving limited funding and only guaranteed for two years. We would have been lost without their support and are thus organizing a charity drive to achieve two goals:
(1) To help fund the activities of the iSAIL clinic so that it may continue to provide excellent support to parents experiencing perinatal loss
(2) To give visibility to this important service, acknowledging the important function it serves and, hopefully, inspiring an extension of services, within the region and beyond
We have thought long and hard about what we want to do to honour Callan. We can think of nothing better than to create a legacy of good from his short life. You will never be able to buy a gift for him, but you can help other parents during a period of unimaginable sadness and pain, using kindness to show them that there is light even at the darkest of times. Unfortunately, we are not alone in traveling this painful road: There are around 2,000 stillbirths in Australia alone each year. This is thus an important area of healthcare that makes a real difference in people's lives. Please give generously and share this campaign with all of your friends and family!
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts,
Jane and Frédéric
P.S. We have also chosen this occasion to create a memorial video for Callan; we hope this visual storyboard will help you understand our experience of child loss and explain why we are asking you to support other bereaved parents.
RPA Newborn Care is the intensive care unit for sick and premature babies at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPA) in Camperdown. Each year over 5000 babies are born at RPA making it the largest maternity hospital in New South Wales.
About Fundraiser
Jane Lê
Alexandria, NSW
Tue, 28 Jun 2016
Veronica Tebbitt
$ 50
Sat, 11 Jun 2016
Mark Rich
$ 20
Fri, 10 Jun 2016
Bree Fogarty
$ 20
Fri, 10 Jun 2016
Isla & Ollie Henderson
$ 30
Fri, 10 Jun 2016
Diana Santangelo
$ 50
Fri, 10 Jun 2016
Laura Cottam
$ 50
This is a very important service and should be continued.
Fri, 10 Jun 2016
Amazing Mindful Kids
$ 50
Much love and healing. May you always feel deep love and connection holding that beautiful space for Callan with all your children
Thu, 9 Jun 2016
Chahrazad Abdallah
$ 50
My dear Jane,
Thinking of you. I wish I could have held your hand in silence. Be strong. Lots of love.
Chacha
Thu, 9 Jun 2016
Zoe Puechberty
$ 10
Thu, 9 Jun 2016
Anke & Mario
$ 50
Dear Jane and family, having kids on our own we can only try to imagine what you are going through. Thank you so much for your strength and inspiration for all of us. Our thoughts are with you. In love, Anke & Mario
RPA Newborn Care is the intensive care unit for sick and premature babies at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPA) in Camperdown. Each year over 5000 babies are born at RPA making it the largest maternity hospital in New South Wales.
This is a very important service and should be continued.