For more than 13 years, clinical leader Kelli Stewart, RN, MS, has cared for patients and families in the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. But in 2019, she found herself on the other side of patient care when she lost her son, Graham, after going into labor at 21 weeks of pregnancy.
Stewart received an outpouring of support from colleagues, friends and family. Having cared for families experiencing loss in the NICU, she understood the importance of compassion during difficult times. Experiencing that loss herself gave her a deeper understanding of the support grieving families need.
One gesture stayed with her. Shortly after losing Graham, she received a care package at her home, made possible through anonymous donations.
“It was a simple thing, and I learned that there is not a lot you can really say or do in those times that is going to change it, but people want to help,” Stewart said.
“Acknowledging it is one of the best things you can do,” she added. “When I received that package, I felt like it was a really tangible way to acknowledge that you are going through a tough time, and people are here for you and they’re sorry.”
Inspired by the gesture, Stewart began thinking about how she could offer similar comfort to other families. Over the following years, she reflected on the items and acts of kindness that meant the most to her. This led her to create Finding Fireflies: Gifts from Graham, an organization that supports families experiencing pregnancy and infant loss.
Although pregnancy and infant loss affect many families, these experiences often go unrecognized. Loved ones may want to offer support but struggle to find the right words or know how to help. Through Finding Fireflies, Stewart hopes to raise awareness, offer a meaningful way for others to show support and bring comfort to as many grieving families as possible.
The organization donates memory boxes to patients at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital and provides care packages to grieving families nationwide.
To date, Finding Fireflies has distributed nearly 750 care packages across 44 states.
For Tayler Etheridge, MSN, RN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, a clinical leader in labor and delivery at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital, Stewart’s mission holds personal meaning. Like Stewart, Etheridge experienced the loss of her daughter, Emerson, after giving birth prematurely.
Each year, Etheridge and her family honor Emerson’s memory by helping assemble memory boxes for families experiencing similar losses. On Emerson’s birthday, Nov. 25, they also provide a box to a family at the hospital in her honor.
“To me, these boxes are so much more than the items inside them,” Etheridge said. “They are a way of telling grieving families, ‘You are not alone. You are seen. Your baby matters, and you will always be welcome here.’”
Through Finding Fireflies, Stewart and Etheridge have found meaningful ways to honor Graham and Emerson while comforting grieving families. What began as a simple act of kindness has become a lasting reminder that even in moments of unimaginable loss, no family has to feel alone.
Visit Finding Fireflies to learn more about this organization.
Source: ufhealth.org
