andrechinn / CC
Losing your baby could be one of the worst things to happen. Jon Stokes is an Environmentalist from England and he went through one of the most horrible experiences anyone should have to go through. Jon and Alison Stokes lost their baby on the babies due date and then 2 days later, had to deliver it. Jon and Alison had already picked a name for him, Jack.
“I said, what’s happening and she said he’s died and it was a genuinely the most surreal experience, that it felt like the floor opened up in front of me and I, and I fell into a hole.”
The emotional blow associated with child loss can prompt a wide range of psychological and physiological problems including depression, anxiety, cognitive and physical symptoms linked to stress, marital problems, increased risk for suicide, physical pain, and guilt.
Researchers say parents who had lost a child had shorter lifespans than non-bereaved parents. This is because they now feel unresolved grief, long-term PTSD symptoms, loss of meaning in one’s life, and the biological impact of severe prolonged stress. This is Jons story and the worst day of his life.
“It wasn’t one of the days of my life that I enjoyed most. Unfortunately, then what had to happen was that they had to induce the baby, and so he wasn’t born for a couple of days after that, because he really wasn’t ready to go into labor. So they had to induce it, it was all very traumatic and about two days later, he was actually born. Right up until the last minute, you just hoped that they’d got it wrong, but they haven’t.”
Considering Jon went through something so horrific, he decided to create something for people with similar experiences to come to and a place to grief. Jon went and made a whole garden commemorating bereavement.
Going through such an emotional experience can live with you forever. Jon and Alison Stokes have been amazing and bringing light to such a dark topic. Jon created a bench at the National Memorial Arboretum.
If you or know somebody going through something like this, call Bereaved Families of Ontario at 519-686-1573.
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