Attention Tim Hammond:
It has come to my attention that your organization is using a pink/blue ribbon as the symbol to spread awareness about your cause. I am distressed over your use of this ribbon, as at the time you began using it, it was already the symbol for Pregnancy/Infant Loss Awareness. This is a cause that is vitally important to those who have lost their children. You cannot know the struggle we go through just to get our message heard.
One of the worst parts about being a bereaved parent is that we are very much alone in our efforts. Very few people acknowledge or understand what we have lost and whom we are fighting for. There are thousands of us who have lost our babies, and for most of us having that little ribbon be synonymous with our fight is one of the very few things we have left to honor our children.
You fight for the living. Your fight is made easier by the fact that the people you are fighting for have a voice and are capable of using it to fight for themselves with your help. We fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. We are the voice for those we have lost, those who were too small to speak for themselves throughout their extremely short lives.
We want that ribbon to be a symbol of our loss. And as I said before, for some who's children died too young, that ribbon is the only thing we have that is exclusively ours. I would urge you and your organization to come up with another way of symbolizing your cause. Please consider us, and consider our children. Thank you.
The Bereaved Parents
I am 23 years old...too young to be a part of such a heartbreaking cause. But, like I said, you don't pick this club...it picks you. I lost my only daughter before she was born. I never met her, I never held her, and I never had the chance to introduce her to the world. But I am not the only one...there are thousands of others just like me, and for most of us having that little ribbon be synonymous with our club is one of the very few things we have left to honor our children.
I don't want to sound uncaring or unsympathetic to your cause. But with all due respect, you fight for the living. Your fight, while admirable, is made easier by the fact that the people you are fighting for have a voice and are capable of using it to fight for themselves with your help. We fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. We are the voice for those we have lost.
We want that ribbon to be a symbol of our loss. And as I said before, for some who's children died too young, that ribbon is the only thing we have that is exclusively ours. I would urge you and your organization to come up with another way of symbolizing your cause. I imagine you have already, and will continue to receive letters from other members of this club, asking the same thing of you. Please consider us, and consider our children. Thank you.
