This month 4002 & You is donating to Emma’s Footprints. Since 2013, Emma’s has been walking with pregnancy and infant loss families in their grief journeys, providing care and support as they travel down this difficult and often lonely path. Emma’s ensures that no family has to walk alone. Stacy Fraschetti of BNB Financials suggested Emma’s Footprints from her experience with the non-profit. Here is Stacy’s story.
How Emma’s Footprints came into our lives…
Life is full of surprises and on February 3, 2019 was the day that we found out that we were going to be parents! Our lives were changed forever. I thanked God for this amazing gift that He had given us. With all of the emotions that parenthood can bring, what an amazing moment that was to experience.
Through the next couple of weeks, we dreamt about our child, decided on names, and began to plan for the future. At 6 weeks along we got to see our little one. It was the most amazing thing to see life forming in its most delicate state with a strong heartbeat of 104 beats per minute. I clung to that number knowing that there was in fact a life. A life to prepare for. A life to celebrate. A life to love.
Little did we know that 2 short weeks later, at a follow-up appointment it would turn into a life to mourn. “I’m sorry, there’s no heartbeat.” I heard. And with the six, saddest words that anyone has ever spoken to me, our world stopped. At 8 weeks gestation, our sweet little one had went to rest in the arms of Jesus. My heart shattered to think that this could possibly be real. They were wrong. This was a mistake. Our baby had to be alive.
I did not know what to do and we were completely lost. We had no idea how to articulate what it was that we were feeling or how to even begin to navigate what was taking place. I quickly realized that even though my mind and body could not comprehend it, we had an army fighting for us.
I reached out to a friend I knew from church who was officiated with Emma’s Footprints who provided MUCH needed emotional support those first few days. 5 days later the reality of losing my child began to set in a little more with a trip to the hospital. But, in the midst of the most heart-breaking experience we had ever faced, a little light shined as the bereavement nurse from Hamot Hospital came to my room at the request of my friends at Emma’s. There is no way to explain the kindness and love that filled the sad, agonizing atmosphere of that hospital room.
Since this journey began, Emma’s has been with us side by side through a care package mailed to our house, monthly support groups that we attend, counseling sessions, fun events, a community, daily support and best of all, friends. Friends to walk with us on this road of grief. And as they fulfill their mission to help other families like us get through the toughest of times, they also work with local medical institutions and surrounding communities to create awareness and teach others how to better serve families who are going through pregnancy or infant loss.
The Dailey Family. Tracy Dailey, co-founder of Emma’s Footprints.
For more information on Emma’s Footprints and other services they provide, visit www.emmasfootprints.com. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
My husband and I could not imagine going through this season of life without Emma’s Footprints by our side.
4002 & You is made up of a group of companies: LeafGuard of Lake Erie, Bauer Specialty, BPM Housing, Bauer Specialty Commercial Services, and BNB Financial Services which share a connection to office operations at 4002 Main Street in Lawrence Park, Pennsylvania. Monthly 4002 & You makes a donation to a group, organization or charity that is suggested by the employees of the companies. The story is shared on social media to help raise awareness for their cause. We hope you enjoyed this month’s story and are encouraged to go make a difference for something that is important to you.
