The Fifth Annual Walk to Remember for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day will be held at 6:30 pm Tuesday, October 15, outside the Newtown Community Center, 8 Simpson Street. The night will begin with a walk around the Fairfield Hills campus, followed by a Wave of Light, a candle lighting to coincide with the Global Wave of Light that happens annually. The organizers will then do a baby name reading to remember those who have passed on far too soon.

In the United States, nearly 24,000 babies are stillborn every year. That’s one out of every 160 babies that don’t come home. There are more stillbirths every year than deaths from prematurity and SUID/SIDS combined. Sixty to seventy percent of grieving mothers report grief-related depression symptoms one year after stillbirth. In half of these mothers, the symptoms lasted for four years or more. It is estimated that 4.2 million women in the world are living with depression secondary to stillbirth. One in six women will be diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after a stillbirth.

This event is not only for families directly impacted, but also for friends, colleagues, healthcare professionals and anyone else who wants to show support to grieving families. This is a pain that truly never dies — sharing this special day with people who also miss their babies is deeply impactful.

For more information, email Kathy Gardner at kgardner808@gmail.com, or visit facebook.com/events/8829488913728122/.