WAOW - Newsline 9, Wausau News, Weather, SportsTogether Learning To Cope

Together Learning To Cope

by Colby Robertson

MARSHFIELD (WAOW) -- When parents lose a child, there is no time table for grieving or directions on how to move on.

But, an area hospital is trying to make the grieving process a little easier for families who have suffered a loss.

Ann Boson, Director of Foundation for Saint Joseph's Children's Hospital says, "Years ago we didn't talk about death and dying and now we're learning that we have to."

The TLC program started at Saint Joseph's Children's Hospital in 1975. It stands for, "Together Learning To Cope."

The idea is to make sure that parents who have just lost their child don't go home empty handed. Instead they send them home with a memory box.

The TLC Coordinator Lucy Cannon says, "The parents are just like in aww. They're beautiful. It's just something of their baby that they can keep for the rest of their life."

One of the many things found in the memory boxes are these molds. A foot, hand, sometimes even a face. It's something tangible for parents to touch 10-15 years down the road.

Boson says, "All of those tangible things are important for the grieving process and to the loss program. The material, we want them to look at and review so they know that what they're going through is normal and expected but the hand molds are by far and away the more treasured of the materials we give in the program."

The boxes are also filled with pictures, footprints, a baby ring for mom and something for dad. While it's just a small thing the hospital staff does, for parents it's a big help in moving forward and making sure their child's memory lives on forever.

Cannon says, "I always tell parents there is no timetable to grieve, so if someone thinks they should be over their grief in a few weeks or months it just isn't so. It may take years and that baby is going to always be a part of them."

The foundation spends between $15,000-$20,000 a year on the program. If you would like to make a donation you can call the Foundation Office at 1-800-428-5000 or you can make a donation at any area Associated Bank.

Online Reporter: Colby Robertson