A safe place for grieving families

At Children's Memorial, the commitment to supporting the whole family goes beyond a patient's experiences at the hospital. Exemplifying this commitment is the Heartlight Program, founded in 1992 to offer support and a safe place for families to be together while coping with the death of a child.

"Heartlight was an emotional life-saver," says Shirley Beller, whose daughter Melissa died at age 12 in 1993. Beller, her husband and their son, Michael, who was then eight years old, attended Heartlight groups for about two years. "At the first meeting, I wanted to run out because it was so painful. By the third meeting, the comfort began to set in. People knew how we felt; we could express our grief in a safe place. The benefits of Heartlight still help us today."

The program's vital philanthropic support

An affiliated organization raising funds for the hospital, has provided vital philanthropic support to Heartlight, including the establishment of an endowment to ensure the program's lasting support. More than 420 family members have benefited from Heartlight's support groups and over 700 families have received support and education from Hope of Heartlight, a comprehensive bereavement program providing educational mailings, personal phone calls and referrals to bereavement support services.

"A challenge that we face at Heartlight is when mom, dad and each of the children are each grieving in their own way and in their own time," says Kristin James, coordinator of the Heartlight program. "In our program, parents meet in one group while siblings meet in another. Grieving children do not feel so alone because they are with other children their age who are also experiencing grief."

Spanish-speaking families are also supported

Serving both families affiliated with Children's Memorial and throughout Chicagoland, Heartlight has grown to offer support groups for Spanish-speaking families (Luz del Corazon), parents coping with the death of their only child and grieving grandparents.

Heartlight holds annual in-service training sessions for hospital staff and training sessions for community groups, schools and other organizations coping with loss. Through several annual events led by professionals and extensively trained volunteers, staff and families honor the memories of children. Heartlight's annual budget is supported entirely through philanthropy from businesses, corporations, foundations and individuals.

"There is no real closure when a loved one dies," says Beller. "Grief is definitely a journey. Heartlight provided us with the strength to live our lives as fully as we can and still keep our children with us."

[Note: this article appeared in the Summer 2002 issue of Building Blocks, a publication for friends of Children's Memorial Hospital.]