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When a child dies, one by one we pick up pieces of our broken hearts and sew them back together into a tapestry of sorrow and tears. But when we add remembrance, love and hope we come to realize that we have created a quilt—a healing quilt.
Healing Quilt is a comprehensive program offering bereavement services to families in the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics system after the death of their child. It is intended to give comfort and support for families for the first year and beyond.
Children are expected to outlive their parents. But when a child dies first, it does not fit into the normal rhythms of life. Healing Quilt acknowledges the profound grief that comes with the death of a child and encourages families to honor their grief and the memory of their child.
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Children’s staff from the disciplines of chaplaincy, psychology, social work, child life, and nursing deliver continued care through education and emotional support. Services are offered at no charge to families.
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Healing Quilt was created because…
The loss of a child affects the physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental well-being of the family left behind. The fabric of the family is forever changed. As one parent stated, “When your child dies, a certain part of your own life dies. There’s a lot of senselessness in that it makes you question your very existence.” Life may never feel the same.
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- We are aware that the death of a child does not fit into the normal rhythms of life and can be devastating.
- We understand that the death of a child creates a grief that is far more complicated than other losses and requires highly specialized care.
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- We recognize that grief can be a lonely experience for survivors who can greatly benefit from suitable emotional support.
- We know that grief is a normal reaction to loss and yet it is so widely misunderstood.
- We believe that when one is intentional about one’s grief there will be healing.
- We continue to care about children.
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Services
Calendar of Events
Make a Donation
Parent Perspectives
Grief Reflections
Bereavement Support Groups
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For more information contact Linda Lehmann, bereavement coordinator, at (612) 813-6622, Linda.Lehmann@childrensmn.org, the Healing Quilt phone line at (612) 813-7216 at Children’s – Minneapolis, or (651) 220-6464 at Children’s St. Paul.
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