Stillborn baby 'Cuddle Cots' at heart of B.C. mom's fundraising
Kelowna woman Kristin Esmail says new body cooling device gives grieving parents more time with lost babies
A Kelowna, B.C. mother who suffered through the devastation of losing her child in pregnancy wants to help ease that pain for other families facing similar tragic circumstances.
Kristin Esmail lost her child in 2011 and is now raising money to purchase 'Cuddle Cots', designed to keep a stillborn child cool, so grieving parents can spend more time with the babies they have lost.
Esmail, who has since delivered two healthy babies, wants the new technology to be available at Kelowna General, Vernon Jubilee and Penticton Regional hospitals.
"This child is someone you've wanted to meet for so long and when they come to you and you're not able to see them, you want to be able to bond and have that time with them before you have to say bye," she told Chris Walker on CBC Radio One's Daybreak South.
"It's that extra time to do the things like change their diaper, or bathe them, or dress them when you're not going to be able to do that again."
'Shatter the silence'
Esmail, following the example of other parents around the world who are raising money to memorialize their lost children, has started a crowdfunding page to bring Cuddle Cots to the Okanagan.
She says it's not only about fundraising, but also lifting the taboo on a painful subject.
"I am trying to shatter the silence around it and to be able to talk about it more and allow people to be open about it, because it's something that would help families grieve ... and be able to talk about it."
To hear the full interview with Kristin Esmail, listen to the audio labelled: Mourning mother raises funds to support parents of stillborn children.