Piragash, Spreading HOPE for Leonardo
Ambassador Piragash, Sharing in memory of Leonardo
“As a father, I felt deeply saddened to have lost my first son. As a husband, I watched my wife suffer a pain that I couldn’t always understand: that of carrying a child and not being able to hold him. My wife has had a connection with our son before he was even born. I was hoping to build that bond after he was born and that was taken from me. It hurt to lose my son and to see my wife suffer. I wanted to take care of her and as a result, I didn’t deal with the loss and grief until much later.
I didn’t feel like a support group was for me. But I saw how it helped my wife and for that I’m grateful. RTZ has helped our family and has helped all of us keep our son’s memory alive.”
Pregnancy and infant loss is a unique type of loss, leaving the grievers to feel isolated and unsure of how to move forward. We'd be grateful if you would consider making a contribution to RTZ HOPE. Your gift ensures that other parents who endure loss on their journey to parenthood have the support, resources, and community they need in order to navigate life after loss.
With your support, here’s what we were able to accomplish during 2022 (2022 Annual Report):
Fifty percent of support group participants received financial support to ensure that all parents have access to services.
Enhanced outreach to and created support services for Black, Indigenous, and other Communities of Color as a response to the alarming rate of preterm births and stillbirths caused by racial disparities in perinatal and infant health.
Offered 50 different support group programs (virtual workshops, virtual support groups, and in-person retreats) to our community of bereaved families.
Supplied our unique perinatal bereavement guides to 400 hospitals and providers to assist in caring for grieving families.
Hosted 10 perinatal bereavement education webinars to parents and providers.
Created community and spread awareness about pregnancy and infant loss through social media.