A personal beginning
Following my own pregnancy losses, I found myself searching for understanding, support, and a way to navigate a grief that felt impossible to put into words.
Grief like that changes everything — how you see the world, how you see yourself, and how you move through each day.
In August 2019, I began volunteering with Cradle. I started by helping collect donations, then packed and delivered comfort bags to families in hospital, experiencing the unimaginable loss of a baby during pregnancy.
At the time, I never could have imagined how deeply this work would shape both my personal and professional life.
From comfort bags to connection
What began with carefully packing bags filled with thoughtful items for grieving parents soon became something much bigger — connection, community, and compassion in its rawest form.
Over time, I became involved in running Connected, a support space within Cradle. Through this, I have spoken hundreds of people navigating the heartbreak of baby loss.
Each week, I hear moments of grief, love, shock, anger, numbness, hope, and healing.
Some people have joined Connected just days after losing their baby. I still remember the rawness that fills those conversations. I hear the kind of pain that sits heavy in the room because everything is still so fresh.
Even after all these years, that feeling never becomes “normal.” In many ways, I still feel the heartbreak as though it were my own.
I feel incredibly privileged to play even a small part in each person’s story. To witness their heartache, build genuine connections, and feel so deeply alongside them is something I’ll carry with me forever.
Where grief and connection meet
Alongside the pain, I have witnessed something incredibly powerful.
I have watched strangers become a family.
I have seen people arrive feeling completely broken and isolated, only to discover they are not alone.
I have watched laughter exist beside grief, because somehow, in spaces where people feel safe enough to be fully understood, both can coexist.
That is what makes Cradle so important.
It creates space for people to speak openly about a loss that society often struggles to acknowledge. It reminds grieving parents that their baby/babies mattered, their grief matters, and they matter.
The heart of the work
The work Cradle does is not just about practical support, though the comfort bags, hospital supplies, and resources are deeply important.
It is about human connection.
It is about showing up for people during one of the darkest moments of their lives and helping them feel seen, supported, and cared for.
Where I am today
Looking back now, I can see how much this journey has shaped the work I do today.
Working as an Engagement Manager at Cradle allows me to work closely with those who join Connected and with local hospitals to pack and deliver supplies directly to those who need them most.
Every partnership built, every bag delivered, and every conversation held carries the same heart behind it that first drew me to Cradle in 2019: Compassion.
What this work has taught me
This work has taught me the importance of empathy, presence, and community.
It has shown me how powerful it can be when people come together to support one another through grief.
Most of all, it has reminded me that even in the deepest pain, nobody should have to feel alone.
And for that, I will always be grateful to be part of the Cradle family.
To find out more please visit; https://cradlecharity.org/
