Memorial portraits offer bereaved parents comfort

OUNT VERNON, Ohio (AP) — After the death of an infant, the last thing on most parents’ minds is taking pictures to remember their child by, so a nonprofit organization is helping by offering professional portraits to families.

Every parent deserves a beautiful portrait of their child, said Debra Stoner, of Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, which arranges free infant bereavement photos for families. Stoner started the local chapter of the national organization after her infant daughter died, and she now coordinates 10 volunteer photographers who take pictures in six Columbus-area hospitals.

At first, some parents are reluctant to take the portraits.

“You don’t want to take pictures at the time. My husband was a little leery about it at first, and I was just like, ‘Just think in the long run,’” said Darcy Ewers, whose daughter, Merrick Grace, died 90 minutes after being born three months premature in February.

Important memory

Months later, Ewers and her husband Jason cherish the portraits taken shortly after their daughter’s death. The photos of Merrick, her head resting on a crocheted blanket, hang in their home in Mount Vernon, 50 miles northeast of Columbus.

“When families do hold the babies and they do snuggle with them, they almost make a connection they otherwise wouldn’t have,” said Sara Knight, a photographer from Columbus who took the Ewers’ portraits.

“This is something we want to do. I want to be a part of saving these memories for these families so they have something to look back at.” said Diane Spagnuolo, another volunteer photographer.

Though it may be difficult to think about, many parents eventually realize the photos give them a tangible memory of their child’s short life. The portraits are comforting to Darcy Ewers, who was in too much pain after her Caesarean section to hold her daughter very long.

“I love to talk about her, and I love to show people her pictures,” Darcy Ewers said. “It was hard at first, but now some time has passed by.”