New Nelson group to help bereaved parents

Just three days before Christmas last year, Rebekah and Adam Hicks lost their baby boy in a tragic freak accident. They quickly found there was very little support to help them in the aftermath, and now Rebekah and her friends are working to change this for other parents.

They’re launching a new group called Project Butterfly, which Rebekah explains will help to provide the sort of support they wish they’d had when their 14 month old ‘Baby Mac’ died.

“Last Christmas when we should have been unwrapping presents and eating turkey we were actually dealing with coroners, autopsies and police,” Rebekah says. “Project Butterfly aims to ease the load for people who are struggling to carry on with their everyday lives while dealing with unimaginable loss, families who suddenly face huge costs in a time of immense grief.”

Project Butterfly's long term aim is to offer practical, emotional and financial support to bereaved families but right now they’ve come up with a plan to give these families a place to remember their lost child – a memorial pathway at Fairfield Park.

“Cemeteries can be difficult places, especially for children and young people,” Rebekah says. “We have the council on board to help us create a pathway to the children’s playground at Fairfield Park, where families can go to reflect and remember in a peaceful and more friendly setting.”

The concept is for bereaved families to lay a specially designed stamped paver on the path in tribute to their lost child. Rebekah says the children’s memorial pathway will be the first of it’s kind in the whole country. And she says there is currently no service in New Zealand offering the kind of support they envisage in the longer term.

“Families may not be able to afford counseling or may have to move house to help to deal with their grief,” she says. “No one can bring their baby back, but there are practical ways that caring people can offer support.”

To kick-start Project Butterfly the group is holding a variety and auction night at Old St John’s Hall on November 2. They are looking for goods, services, or experiences to put up for auction.

If you want to help you can find them on facebook or on their website www.projectbutterfly.co.nz

ENDS

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