Humboldt General Hospital’s Mother and Baby Unit hopes to ease the
pain of those who have experienced the loss of a pregnancy or an infant.
October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and October 15 marks
each year’s “Wave of Light Ceremony,” a candle lighting
service that brings together those who have grieved the loss of a child
in a ceremony of unity.
At 7 p.m. in all time zones, candles are lit and kept burning for one hour,
creating a 24-hour “wave of light” as it moves around the
world in reverence of beloved babies who are dearly loved and forever missed.
For the third time this October 15, Humboldt General Hospital will bring
the ceremony to Winnemucca, adding one more link to the chain of light
that encompasses and spans the globe.
Due to COVID-19 precautions, this year’s event will be held virtually
via Humboldt General Hospital’s Facebook
@humboldtgeneralhospital.
HGH OB Nurse Tiffany Andersen will once again oversee the event. She said
the local ceremony offers a way to acknowledge and remember pregnancy
loss and infant death, including miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, or the
death of a newborn.
“This ceremony illuminates the night in love and light,” said
Tiffany. “It’s a chance for grieving parents to come together
and to be surrounded by love and support from their friends and families.”
She added, “We want to help give our parents a place to express the
grief and love they continue to experience long after everyone else forgets.”
From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, October 15, community members are invited
to post personal experiences, photos, condolences and more on the HGH
Facebook event site.
Tiffany especially hopes participants will share a photo of a candle or
light they have lit in honor of their angel in order to continue the event’s
chain of light; any “light” photos can also be accompanied
by the baby’s name and brief story.
The Facebook event will be accessible in the days leading up to October
15. However, Tiffany will be active on the page that evening; she also
will have a series of posts and photos to share.
All participants are encouraged to comment or otherwise interact with kindness
and compassion on the site.
Humboldt General Hospital’s Mother and Baby Unit staff have also
erected an Angel Tree in the department that includes mementos from past
events to also help illuminate this year’s “Wave of Light
Ceremony.”
Loved ones may email
andersent@hghospital.org
or call (775) 623-5222, ext. 1268, prior to October 15, to include their
angel’s name/date on the tree, or to request additional information
about the 2020 “Wave of Light Ceremony.”