By Jill Sperling

Kamloops woman remembers her son ahead of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day Walk

Oct 15, 2018 | 3:41 PM

KAMLOOPS — Three years ago, Michelle Ikwumonu and her husband experienced a terrible loss. In September 2015, their son Malaki  was still-born the day before he was due. 

“Losing my son was the most difficult time in my life,” Ikwumonu said. “It still is hard, it (was) 2015 and it’s three years later. It’s still fresh.” 

Upon losing Malaki, Ikwumonu started searching for any resources that could help her through her grief. 

“I found that in Kamloops there weren’t very many resources available for moms and families who lost their babies to still-birth,” she said. 

Ikwumonu took action to fill the support gap that she had experienced in the community, creating the Kamloops & Area Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Group on Facebook. 

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“I think that families sharing their stories in regards to loss is a huge step in healing and not getting over the loss, but learning to live with the loss because your life absolutely changes, you change as a person,” Ikwumonu said. 

The support group has grown to nearly 100 members, and last year it hosted the first annual Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day Walk in Kamloops. 

“Tonight is the second annual walk for Oct. 15, which is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day,” Ikwumonu said. “We’re meeting 6 p.m. at the Riverside band shell and we will walk up to Victoria Street, come back down, and we also have rose petals that people could release into the water in memory of their loss.” 

The event will also include a candle light vigil, which is an opportunity for parents to speak the names of the children they have lost. 

“The important piece for me is to remember him and hold ceremonies, doing the walk, lighting the candle, releasing the flower petals, and saying his name is so very important to me in my healing journey and learning to live without him.”

Ikwumonu encourages anyone who is grieving the loss of a child during pregnancy and in infancy to join the walk and to reach out and find the support they need.