restorARTively

Today, October 15, is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. This day has been declared in all 50 states as National Pregnancy and InfantLoss Remembrance Day. Across the United States, and now also in Canada and many other places in the world, remembrance ceremonies are being held for families who have lost babies. According to the October15th website, almost one million babies died in 1996 from miscarriage and stillbirth. That does not include infant deaths. Please, join us celebrating and honoring the lives of all babies lost, by lighting a candle at 7 p.m. your time, in honor of a baby lost in your family or in the family of a friend. As they put it onthe October 15th website, “if everyone lights a candle at 7 p.m. and keeps it burning for at least one hour, there will be a continuous wave of light over the entire world on October 15th.” go to http://www.october15th.com/ From the October15th website: "Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is to promote Support,...

Take a minute to read the articles linked to below then please share your thoughts: Is this a question of the conflict of the separation of church and state? What is the child died after they sought medical care as well? If a child dies in a parents arms who has not sought medical treatment, the parent is criminally liable and it is acceptable to put them in jail. In contrast: If a child dies in a medical setting from preventable errors after the parents have sought medical care of a trained health care provider, it is not acceptable to for the provider to be held criminally liable and serve jail time. What is the disconnect in public sentiment on what to do when an adults chosen course of treatment causes irrevocable harm to a child at the mercy of the adults surrounding him/her? How can this disconnect be repaired, or improved? These are not easy questions to consider; but consider them we must because people are "doing time" for what others have defined as "not doin...

A Living Memorial Garden for the Victims and Survivors of Medical Harm was created in Maine by Becky Martins. Becky is one of the newest members of the board of CAPS (Consumers Advancing Patient Safety) and a member of the Worldwide Patient Safety Day Committee. When I first met Becky in Washington DC in 2007 she spoke of this garden. I wasn' t sure at the time if the soft-spoken yet determined demeanor was why I appreciated the concept so much, or if it was just because I personally needed a place to go that I "belonged". People who know about preventable medical errors experience string feelings of distrust, stupidity, trauma, devalued, annoyance, anger, denial, sadness, jealousy, and an earnest desire to save others from a similar fate. And as many different ways there are to get to be a member of this distasteful "club", there are that many ways to address the effects of it. All along I have sought peace. I realize now it is a fleeting state. When I d...