Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, Part One
Reported by: Meg Johnson- WMBD/WYZZ-TV
Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008 @06:48pm CST
WMBD/WYZZ- SPECIAL REPORT -- Losing an
infant is one of the most painful experiences a parent will ever face. Years of
precious memories are stolen in mere seconds. But some parents are turning to a
volunteer organization to turn these moments of unimaginable grief into
something unbelievably beautiful.
35 weeks pregnant, with her second child, Tara Sherrod
hadn't felt the baby move for several days. A doctor’s ultrasound uncovered the
heartbreaking truth.
Tara
remembers, “I was watching that screen, waiting to see the little heart
beating. It was at that point I knew, my worst fears had been confirmed, that
the baby was really gone."
Kim and Mike Kaschke were looking forward to the
birth of their fifth child, when they received tragic news. Their son was diagnosed
with a condition called Trisomy 13. Doctors
told the Kaschkes he would not survive after his birth.
Kim tells us
it felt like "there was like no hope of anything getting better. Nothing
to look forward to."
Tara and Kim have lived through the unthinkable;
giving birth to babies they would never be able to take home. But they both
turned to strangers to help channel their grief into something beautiful; the
international organization known as "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep."
It's a network of professional photographers who
donate their time and resources to families who lose an infant; Volunteering to
capture these brief lives on camera, turning them into lifelong memories.
Mike Kaschke explains, "I was just hoping it
would help us in the healing process, because we knew what the final result
would be."
I
t's an unconventional service that is cherished by
the families who reach out for help. Mike and Kim learned their son's fate when
Kim was about 25 weeks pregnant. Their photographer offered Kim a maternity
session, to tell their son's whole story.
Kim says, "It made me forget what was going to
happen for a few moments, and enjoy the life that I was carrying and the
precious gift that we had. A little baby boy."
And when the time came for Theodore Kaschke's birth,
almost every moment of his 1 hour and sixteen minute life is preserved forever.
Kim says, "The whole feeling was, let's celebrate
his life. Let's celebrate him now. You have him here with you and your family
and it's a beautiful experience."
When
Tara
was induced into labor, a local volunteer drove to
Canton
in the middle of the night to photograph Sophia Noelle
Sherrod.
Tara
explains why she chose to have these pictures taken.
"Once I handed her over I knew that was the end.
And having these pictures to look back on helps me to remember having her in my
arms."
Tara and Damon say these pictures are what help them
get through their grief.
Tara
says, "They're really healing. Just to look at them and to know that's
what she looks like now. Now that she's in heaven."
And they give back precious memories that would
otherwise be stolen.
Tara
tells us, "If you have a baby and it lives, you get to watch it
grow up, hear those first words, see those first steps. When you lose your baby,
you don't have that. And having these pictures makes you cherish that baby and
look forward to seeing them again that much more."
For the Sherrods and the Kaschkes, these moments are
all that is left of their lost children. But they say it's more than they could
have hoped for from the strangers who became their angels.
Kim says, "They made something so scary and so
tragic and turned it into a beautiful experience. Just made it beautiful."
Tara
says, "Until you have it happen to you, I guess you don't know how
special those pictures are. That's a gift that nobody can give you again."
The Sherrods and the Kaschkes both credit their
photographers for giving them such a precious gift. To find out more about the
people who volunteer their time and their hearts to this foundation, click
here.
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, Part Two
Reported by: Meg Johnson- WMBD/WYZZ-TV
Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008 @07:03pm CST
WMBD/WYZZ - SPECIAL REPORT -- When a family loses an infant child they are also
robbed of precious memories. But a group of volunteers is helping to preserve
those moments and create a lifetime of treasured memories.
Jackie Haggerty is a professional photographer based
in
Bloomington
. She's turned her talent for snapping pictures of
her own children into a flourishing business.
For the past 30 years, Barb Primm has followed her
eye for the camera and her love for the art has grown into a respected studio
in Germantown Hills.
Two busy women, connected by more than their passion
for perfect portraits. They belong to a growing organization known as "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep."
It's an international web of professional
photographers, who donate their time and their talent to families faced with
the unthinkable; the loss of a new baby.
The non-profit group started back in 2006 with three
compassionate artists who wanted to help grieving families. Now more than 6 thousand
strong, these men and women are providing anguished parents with a beautiful
tribute to a life lost.
Barb tells us, "It's a very different type of
photography, very different. And not everyone can do it."
They travel to hospitals, day or night, to capture
these brief moments between parent and child. They take the images back the
studio, retouching and crafting these photos into beautiful works of art. The
photographers say it gives the families something tangible to hold on to.
Jackie explains, "We'll never forget the child,
but all of the details will fade. And they're so important. Even if you’re not
ready to look at those images now, you have them for when you are ready."
It's the gift of these memories which drew Barb and Jackie
to join the organization.
Jackie says, "I've been blessed with 4 children
of my own. I think about the days crawling across the floor, or starting to
walk, of wiping the drool off their chins and the opportunities I had to do
that. And I thought about parents who don't have those."
Barb knows firsthand what that loss feels like and
how important these images become. Her own granddaughter passed away at just 3
months old, days after barb had photographed her.
Barb reflects, "The memory is still there and
will always be there. And it's been 7 or 8 years ago and I still think about
her. A lot."
This unconventional practice has garnered plenty of
criticism.
Barb says sometimes "people say how can you
photograph babies like that? They say it's morbid, why would people want
pictures like that? But if you talk to the families who been through it, they
are thankful. And they do have a memory to keep in their hearts forever."
And it isn't always easy for the photographers to
separate their emotions from the reality in front of them.
Jackie says, "This is what I’m here to do, and
you do your job. It's after when it registers and everything comes back to you
about what you just did."
But Barb and Jackie say their work is helping these
families to heal and they say knowing the impact these pictures have is
priceless.
Barb says, "Just to see how it touched them...
She hugged me, and hugged me, and hugged me, she was so happy and has thanked
me so many times."
Jackie remembers, "Kim (a client) said to me, 'I
want to thank you because this was the one day I was happy. It made me happy.' And
to know that one day gave her something good in such a bad time was more than I
could ask to hear."
Comments: 1
rachael (12-24-2008 at 11:07am):
add a comment
merry christmas!