SEWELL, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Families suffering through the pain of losing a baby or a child gathered at Washington Lake Park in Gloucester County Saturday for a walk, to support one another.
In its 20th year in New Jersey, the TEARS Foundation Rock and Walk is an opportunity for families to see they aren't suffering through tragedy alone, and that's really important, according to Dara Sawyer, who lost her son Charles.
"Unfortunately, there’s still a stigma that surrounds pregnancy and infancy loss and just child loss in general. A lot of people really don’t understand it unless it happened to them or somebody close in their circle," said Sawyer.
"Families come out, it's family-friendly for siblings and other people to attend where they get to hear their child's name being read. They get to honor that child no matter if it's been a couple of months since the loss or years."
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Sawyer co-leads the New Jersey chapter of the TEARS Foundation. She said many people who experience child loss often feel alone, like she did when her son Charles died.
"Know that there's somebody there because even in your home, men and women can grieve differently, your spouse can grieve differently. It's just important to be able to find a friend to lean on and know that you’re not alone," she said."
"There's no timeline or proper way to grieve, and you know that when you see all these people when you look around that they're in the same boat as you, even though it could be a different situation that they understand the grief that you're going through."
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