The trauma of losing a baby at birth is heightened when families have to stay in a hospital’s maternity ward surrounded by other families with healthy babies.
Now grieving families in the Moreton Bay region can stay in Redcliffe Hospital’s Jacaranda suite, a dedicated home-like maternity bereavement suite – giving them the space to grieve and receive specialised care in private, away from the maternity ward.
The local Tynwald Freemasons Lodge and Hand Heart Pocket contributed $13,228 towards the initiative alongside other community groups and local businesses, helping with the fit-out of the two-bed space.
Tynwald Freemasons Lodge representative Ross Angel and his wife welcomed their first child in 2021, a healthy baby girl, now 18 months old. Grateful for the care they received, Mr Angel rallied his Lodge to fundraise for this cause.
“As a Lodge we felt it was important to support local families in this way,” Mr Angel said.
“We recently met with Hospital staff and saw the new Jacaranda suite for the first time. When you’ve contributed to something so tangible it really does move you.
“The families that will use this new space will be experiencing immense sadness and we hope this space will be of some comfort to them, giving them privacy as they receive the care they need.
“Not all hospitals have a maternity bereavement suite. If this is something your local area needs, Tynwald Lodge encourages Lodges to think about working with other local community groups to fund a similar initiative in your area,” Mr Angel said.
“I would also like to thank Hand Heart Pocket for supporting us with this initiative.”
Hand Heart Pocket Chief Executive Officer Sara Parrott said over the last year, the Freemasons of Queensland have continued to make a positive impact in communities across the state.
“In 2021-22, with the support of Hand Heart Pocket our Members gave over $460,000 to the causes that matter to them in their community,” Ms Parrott said.
“By matching the Lodge’s giving, we were able to help bring this important local initiative to fruition. Showing compassion towards local families who have suffered a heartbreaking loss, with a dedicated space within the hospital while they receive medical care is incredibly important and we thank Tynwald Freemasons Lodge for bringing this to our attention,” she said.
Photo: Tynwald Freemasons Lodge representatives Ross Angel, Mike Pitcher and Simon Pitcher stopped by the newly created Jacaranda suite.
