Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — On the anniversary of her infant daughter’s death, Nicole Ashley-Rhodes delivered memorial boxes to local hospitals, and hopes they help other parents who are similarly grieving to heal.
Ashley-Rhodes’ daughter, Ayslin, died May 18, 2015 at 2 days old. Though her mother had a healthy pregnancy, she had placental abruption during labor, and little Ayslin lost a lot of blood and fluid, which resulted in organ failure, Ashley-Rhodes said.
To help others also experiencing loss, Ashley-Rhodes assembled 30 child loss memorial boxes to donate to Davis Hospital and Medical Center, Ogden Regional Medical Center and McKay-Dee Hospital.
Burned into the top of the wooden boxes is a quote from "Winnie the Pooh" that says, “If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart, I’ll stay there forever.” The boxes contain three necklaces for the dad, mom and baby, a CD with songs that helped Ashley-Rhodes through her daughter’s loss, a letter explaining Ayslin’s story and two receiving blankets, one for the mom and one for the baby. Some of the boxes included one larger blanket rather than two smaller ones, she said.
Ashley-Rhodes said she delivered the boxes to Labor & Delivery at Ogden Regional Medical Center and McKay-Dee Hospital Wednesday and plans to deliver them to Davis Hospital and Medical Center Saturday.
“I hope it helps them heal in one way or another, whether everything in the box helps them like it helped me or just one little thing, I just hope it helps them heal,” Ashley-Rhodes said. “... When you have a baby die, you’re lost ... you feel alone, and so I feel some of this stuff that I’ve put in there kind of would help them just be closer to their baby, and so I hope that they feel that closeness with some of the items.”
Conversing with people who have also lost a child has helped Ashley-Rhodes, she said.
“That always helps, because it’s kind of another thing going back to feeling lost and alone, you don’t know how many people are out there that have actually gone through this,” she said. “And so when you find people that have, and they can relate, you feel more normal, you don’t feel like everything that you’re doing is so weird and out there that there are people who feel the same way that you do and who is going through or have been through what you’re going through.”
Ashley-Rhodes said she wants to do something special every year to honor and remember her daughter.
