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I told her how sorry I was and that I loved her and did not want her to suffer. I would rather suffer every day for the rest of my life than to allow her to suffer one moment in life.

~Mom of an Angel

Everything was going great. As already having two "normal" pregnancies under my belt, I felt confident. I knew there was always that chance of hearing bad news but I said "no, not me, not our baby."

~A Heartbroken Mother

We felt that if our daughter had been in a car accident and was on life support with the same internal injuries, we would not keep her on life support and let her suffer. This child deserved the same dignity."

~ A grieving mom

I initially thought I would "be brave" and continue my pregnancy. But I came to realize that ultimately it wasn't about how strong I could be, how deeply I wanted this baby or what important lessons he could teach me. It was about what he would experience in his short life. Given his diagnosis, he would have known only suffering. As his mother, I couldn't allow that to happen.

~ A mother at peace

It was our ignorance for believing that all pregnancies led to a healthy baby. It was my arrogance for believing that since I had the best medical care, took prenatal vitamins even before and during my pregnancy, never took drugs, never smoked cigarettes and drank about half a glass of wine a year, that our baby would be safe.

~A bereaved mother

A mother will stop at nothing, including her own hurt, both mentally and physically, to protect her child.

~Brokenhearted Mother


Internet ~ National ~ International ~ Local

Internet support forums & Web sites

A Heartbreaking Choice - Grief support after terminating a pregnancy for medical reasons - Yuku Discussion Group

Baby Center - Termination for Medical Reasons message board

Potters Syndrome - Support Site

Center for Loss in Multiple Birth (Climb) - Loss support for Selective Reduction and loss of twins or multiples

The Compassionate Friends - Grief support after the death of a child

M.I.S.S. Foundation - Providing crisis support after the death of a child from any cause

Share Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support, Inc. - To serve those touched by the death of a baby

Grief Watch - Resources for bereaved families and professional caregivers

National Support Groups

Genetic Alliance
4301 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 404, Washington, DC 20008-2304
(202) 966-5557, fax: (202) 966-8553, Toll-Free Helpline: (800) 336-GENE (4363)
email: info@geneticalliance.org. Has a listing of support groups for nearly every type of genetic problem.

Center for Loss and Life Transition
3735 Broken Bow Road, Ft. Collins, CO 80526, (303) 226-6050

CHERUBS: The Association of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research, Advocacy, and Support
PO Box 1150, Creedmoor, NC 27522, (919) 693-8158, e-mail: cherubs@gloryroad.net

March of Dimes: Birth Defects Foundation, 1275 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY 10605

National Organization for Rare Disorders. Inc. (NORD)
P.O. Box 8923, New Fairfield, CT 06812-8923, (203) 746-6518, Fax: (203) 746-6481, Toll-Free: (800) 999-6673, email: orphan@rarediseases.org

A Place to Remember
Support materials and resources for those who have been touched by a crisis in pregnancy or the death of a baby

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Center
1421 E. Wayzata Blvd, #30, Wayzata, MN 55391, (612) 473-9372

Support for Prenatal Decision
P.O. Box 7523, Redlands, CA 92375

RTS Bereavement Services
1910 South Avenue, LaCrosse, WI 54601, (608) 791-4747, (800) 362-9567

SHARE, Pregnancy and Infant Loss, Inc. St. Joseph's Health Center, 300 First Capitol Drive, St. Charles, MO 63301, (314) 947-6164, (800) 821-6819

Remembering Our Babies - Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

Overseas Support Groups

Induction for Fetal Abnormality (I.F.F.A.)
PO Box 39, Waratah, NSW 2298, Australia

Support after Fetal Diagnosis of Abnormality (SAFDA)
Royal Hospital for Women, 188 Oxford Street, Paddington, NSW 2021, Australia.
Contact Sheila Sim (02) 339-4225 or Many O'Reilly (02) 438-7324

ARC - Antenatal Results and Choices
73-75 Charlotte Street, London, W1P 1LB
Helpline: 0171 631-0285, Admin: 0171 631-0280
From outside the UK, please call: 0044 171 631-0285/0280.

The Splash Project - The Splash Project
c/o Culdrose Community Centre
Hibernia Road, Helston, Cornwall, UK TR13 8DJ
email: support@thesplashproject.org

Local Counselors and Support Groups

Albany, New York area: St. Peter's Hospital
Contact Maureen Cavanagh, (518) 525-1388.

Ann Arbor, Michigan area: SHARING - Support and Healing After Difficult Decisions
Open meeting held every third Wednesday of the month from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan - East Ann Arbor Health Center. RSVP required.
Call (734)-615-0322 or (734) 936-9758

Atlanta area: A Time to Heal
Northside Hospital, 1000 Johnson Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA 30342.
Contact Cathy Wing or Barbara Douglas at (404) 851-8177.

Austin, Texas area: HOPE (Helping Ourselves through this Pregnancy Experience)
Applied Genetics, Inc., Contact Melanie Casal at (512) 443-4363.

Boston area: G.O.A.L. (Going on After Loss)
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115.
Contact Laura Lubetsky, L.I.C.S.W. at (617) 732-5500 ext. 32214.

Boston area: Boston Metrowest: Listening, Reflecting, Healing
Individual and group support services
Contact Mary-Frances Garber, MS, CGC at (781) 366-5300
Licensed Genetic Counselor, www.listeningreflectinghealing.com

Chicago area: Support Group for Prenatal Decisions
Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, 2650 Ridge Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201.
To register, Contact Nancy A. Goldin, L.C.S.W., Coordinator for Perinatal Loss, at (708) 570-2883, ngoldin@enh.org.
Group meets the 4th Wednesday of each month from 7:30 — 9:00 PM.

Cincinnati area: SHARED (Shared Help After Reproductive Decisions)
Children's Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229-3039.
Contact Martha Walker at (513) 559-4798.

Des Moines, Iowa area: Prenatal Decision Conference
Iowa Methodist Medical Center, 1200 Pleasant, Des Moines, IA 50309.
Contact Linda Bets, Department of Chaplaincy at (515) 241-5845.

East Lansing, Michigan: Genetics Support Group
Michigan State University, B-240 Life Sciences Building, East Lansing, MI 48824.
Contact Tonya Diehn or Susan Selke at (517) 353-2030.

Farmington, Connecticut: HOPE
University of Connecticut Heath Center, Genetics MC-6310, Farmington, CT 06030.
Contact Leslie Ciarleglio, MS or Alicia Craffey, MS

Fayetteville, North Carolina area: SHARE
Fayetteville Diagnostic Center, 1767 Metromedical Drive, Fayette-ville, NC 28304.
Contact (910) 323-2209 on Tue/ Thur or (910) 487-2986 (Mon/ Wed/Fri). FAX (910) 323-9860.

Houston area: Resolution
7400 Fannin #1212, Houston, TX 77054.
Contact Joy Redman, MS, at (800) 543-1346 or (713) 798-9500.

Houston area: Resolution
University of Texas OB/GYN, 6655 Travis #320, Houston, TX 77030.
Contact Patti Furman at (713) 794-5170.

Indianapolis area: Shared Concerns Support Group
Co-sponsored by Indiana University Hospital and Methodist Hospital of Indiana.
Contact Jane Heustis at (317) 929-8153 or Lynn Deardorff (317) 274-1639.

Iowa City, Iowa area: Prenatal Loss Support Group
Duffy and Associates, 1039 Arthur Street, Iowa City, IA 52240.
Contact Alison Milburn at (319) 337-9649.

Lexington, Massachusetts area: After Words
Prenatal Diagnostic Center, 80 Hayden Avenue, Lexington, MA 02173.
Contact Barbara Thayer or Bonnie Braddock at (617) 862-1171.

Long Island, NY area: Mineola, New York - Winthrop University Hospital
259 First St. (516) 663-2288 or (516) 742-2934 Anna Orologio, A.C.S.W. We provide support groups for AHC and individual counseling.

Los Angeles area: Pregnancy Loss Support Group
2001 S. Barrington Ave, Suite 307, Los Angeles, CA 90225.
Contact Lee Forseter at (310) 837-5842.

Minneapolis/St. Paul area: Perinatal Center
Abbott Northwestern Hospital, 800 E. 28th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55407.
Contact Joanne O'Leary, Shari Baldinger or Bonnie Hunt at (612) 863-4502.

Mississauga, Ontario, Canada area: Wednesday's Child
RR #2, Erin, ON N0B 1T0.
Contact C. Lynn Wilson at (519) 833-2442

Central New Jersey area (Monmouth and Ocean Counties): HART-Healing And Recovering after Termination
Monmouth Medical Center, 255 3rd Ave. Long Branch, New Jersey 07740.
Contact Judy Rokeach or Ivy Leight (732) 923-6527.

Summit, New Jersey area: FATE — Feelings After the Termination Experience
Center for Human & Molecular Genetics, 90 Bergen Street, Suite 5400, Newark, NJ 07101.
Contact Gisela Rodriguez at (973) 972-3302, rodriggi@umdnj.edu.

New York City: Painful Choices in Pregnancy Support Groups
30 E. 60th Street, Suite 802, New York.
Contact Joann Paley Galst at (212) 759-2783.

New York State: Winthrop University Hospital
Mineola, New York.
Contact Anna Orologio, ACSW at 516-742-2934.

North York, Ontario, Canada area: North York General Hospital
Department of Clinical Genetics, 4001 Leslie Street, North York, ON M2K 1E1 CANADA.
Contact Andrea Shugar at (416) 756-6345.

Oakland, California area: Beyond Choice, Genetic Support Group
Contact Jeanne Menary, PH.D. (510) 845-4656 or Ann Bourguignon, Genetic Counselor, (510) 752-6755.

Pasadena, California area: Caring Connection
Contact Wendy Kohlhase at (818) 577-4002 or Alfigen/Genetics Institute at (818) 666-3300.

Philadelphia Area: A Time for Healing
Sunday evenings, 2nd or 3rd of the month, 7-9 pm, 191 Presidential Boulevard, Suite 133-135, North Building, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, (215) 955-0605.

Phoenix Area: Phoenix Perinatal Associates
Nicole Weston, MS, Genetic Counselor at (602) 528-0060 x561.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area: Unexpected Choices
Contact Bev Tenenholtz, MS at (412) 578-7346.

Pittsburgh area: Unexpected Choices
320 E. North Avenue, Department of Human Genetics, 11th Floor, South Tower, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.
Contact Darcy L. Thull at (412) 359-6388.

Providence, Rhode Island area: SHaRe (Support, Healing and Reflection)
Contact: Jacky Halliday, Women and Infants Hospital, (401) 453-7510.

Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area: HOPE (Helping Other Parents Endure)
Contact Carla Boor Smith, or DJ Pappas at (919) 966-2229.

Rochester, MN (SE Minnesota and SW Wisconsin area): Mayo Perinatal Loss Support Group
Rochester Methodist Hospital, C/O Jeri Sehl, 3W-20 Eisenberg Building, Rochester MN, 55902, Phone (507) 266-7360.

San Francisco area: California Pacific Medical Center.
Contact Kerstin Spangner, Genetic Counselor, at (415) 600-2628.

Seattle, Washington area: Start Where You Are
UWMC Maternal Health Programs, Seattle WA.
Contact Teresa W., teresaw@u.washington.edu or 206-598-7561.

Springfield, Massachusetts area: Prenatal Decision Support and Information Group
Baystate Medical Center, Women & Infants' Unit, 759 Chestnut Street, Springfield, MA 01199.
Contact Karen Banta, MSW at (413) 784-5402.

Stanford, California: Surviving Painful Decisions
Genetic Support Group at Stanford Medical Center, Call (415) 723-5198.

Suffern, New York: Good Samaritan Hospital
Rt. 59, Suffern, NY 10901. Contact Pamela Magi, RN at (845) 368-5297. Serves Rockland, Westchester, Orange, Ulster and Putnam counties in New York state and Bergen and Passaic counties in New Jersey.

Trenton, New Jersey area: Mercer County, NJ and Bucks County, PA areas. Time for Healing
Meets one Sunday per month from 7-9 p.m. at the Mercer Campus of Capital Health System in Trenton, NJ. Please call coordinator Carolee Watkins, M.S., Genetic Counselor at (609) 394-4072, ext. 2 for more information. No fee. Links by phone with other parents also available.

Williamsville, New York: Precious Lives (Caring Arms Support Circle)
Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, 1540 Maple Road, Williamsville, New York.
Contact Kathleen Skipper, R.N.C. at (716) 568-6653. The group meets every 3rd Tuesday at 7 pm.

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada area: Empty Cradle
52548 RPO Coquitlam Centre, Coquitlam, BC V3B 7J4 Canada.
Contact Patty Lou Bryant at (604) 469-1272.

Watertown, New York area: Samaritan Medical
830 Washington Street, Watertown, NY 13601.
Contact Sheila Marie at (315) 785-4184 or (315) 785-4182.


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