The seventh annual Orange County Walk to Remember will be held on Oct. 15 to honor babies who have died during pregnancy or soon after birth, and to support parents who have lost a baby. The 5K walk will begin following an 8:15 a.m. Remembrance Ceremony and reading of babies’ names.
The walk allows parents, friends and family to come together and share their grief, remember their lost children and express their support for each other. Last year’s event gathered more than 1,700 participants; organizers expect about 2,000 to attend this year’s event.
Kristyn von Rotz and Lyndsey McLaughlan, two Orange County mothers, founded O.C. Walk to Remember in 2004 after losing their babies, and held their first Walk to Remember in Irvine that year. The organization raises money for several Orange County hospitals, funds community support groups for parents who have experienced the loss of a baby, and uses programs and literature to educate hospital staff on how to help parents overcome grief. Among the support services that O.C. Walk to Remember offers to parents are memory boxes containing blankets and photos to remember their babies.
One in four pregnancies ends with the loss of an infant, resulting in millions of babies lost for varying reasons and include miscarriage, stillbirth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and other medical issues. Von Rotz said, "Losing a baby, whether from miscarriage or pregnancy and infant loss is devastating. It is important for parents to have support groups and resources to turn to. It is our hope that the OC Walk to Remember can continue to provide financial support to those organizations that help parents grieve."
The event’s date is meaningful, as Oct. 15 is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. The walk will be held at the District at Tustin Legacy, and participants can register at ocwalktoremember.org.
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