Mario Morong was born three months prematurely on
''It's just one of those things you never think about when you're
pregnant," said his mother, Maria Morong of
In memory of Mario and other babies lost to local families, Morong and two other mothers, Shari McStay of Danvers and Stacey Blaisdell of Salem, have organized ''A Walk to Remember" this Saturday, at which more than 200 local parents and family members will commemorate their infants' short lives, as well as pregnancies that ended early through miscarriage. Oct. 15 was declared Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day in 1988 by former President Ronald Reagan.
An estimated 1 million children die through miscarriage, stillbirth, or other birth-related trauma every year, according to SHARE Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support, a national organization that provides free information and support for families who have suffered through an early infant death.
''During the first year [after a loss] so many people are supportive," said Morong, who teaches English as a second language in the Weston elementary schools. ''But soon, everyone else's lives go back to normal, while you never stop thinking about what might have been."
Mario's mother said her son's death was as unexpected as his birth. After a placental obstruction, Mario was delivered by emergency caesarean section. The baby was so small he had to undergo an operation on his underdeveloped heart. Although his chances of living were slim, Morong said her son continued to surprise the doctors.
''Every day we were one step closer to taking him home," she said.
But one June morning, Mario's condition took a turn for the worse. His body was retaining fluids.
''The doctor knew he wasn't going to make it through the day," said Morong.
Despite the efforts of the hospital staff to keep the baby's environment sterile, Mario had developed an infection due to the constant insertion of needles into his tiny body. As their son lay dying, the Morongs held him for the first time. He died later that afternoon in his parents' arms.
''It was so surreal," said Morong. ''You can't even imagine what's actually happening."
''A Walk to Remember" is a project that the three women say will be the
first of its kind north of
They began planning the memorial last May after meeting at
a bereavement group at
''This is just a way to remember that these are our children who we've wanted and unfortunately lost," said Blaisdell, whose triplets, Annabell, Abigail, and Aaron, died shortly after their birth in September 2003. ''We couldn't take them home, but this is a way to remember that we'll never forget them."
Among the participants registered in the ''Walk to Remember" are a young family who lost a baby as recently as Sept. 12, and Morong's mother, Dolores Fagioli of East Boston, who will mark the loss of her brother, who died just days before Christmas in 1939. The child, who was never named, was a day old. Morong says her mother knew nothing about the baby until Fagioli's father was on his deathbed.
''They had just never spoken of it. It was so incredibly sad and it was too hard for my grandmother to talk about it," said Morong.
A flowering crabapple tree will be dedicated at a ceremony prior to the walk, when each of the babies' names will be read. Parents and families will receive a commemorative ornament, a T-shirt with the babies' names on it, and an awareness ribbon.
''Sometimes it's just nice to hear your baby's name again," said McStay, whose daughter, Julia Grace, was delivered stillborn in July 2003. ''When I walk, Julia will be my reason."
In the past two years, all three women have given birth to healthy babies, or what Morong calls ''rainbow babies."
''They have brought joy back into our lives," she said.
The Morongs named their 1-year-old daughter McKenzie May, after Mario's birth-month.
''We still miss Mario terribly and think about him every day," said Morong. ''People never forget."