HCA Healthcare workers and families gather for the third annual butterfly release on Thursday to honor babies lost during pregnancy or infancy.
Photo by Walker Smith
Key Points
The third annual butterfly release took place Thursday morning on the front lawn of HCA Florida North Florida Hospital, bringing together families to honor children they lost during pregnancy or infancy.
The event provides a space for parents to remember their children and find support from others who have experienced similar losses.
Photo by Walker Smith Lauren Blake, who lost her twins in 2017, has attended the annual butterfly release since its inception. One of the event’s first speakers, Blake returns each year to support parents honoring their children.
Lauren Blake, who lost her twins in 2017, has attended the event each year since its beginning. She was one of the event’s first speakers and returns to support parents who come to honor their children.
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“Your babies are not forgotten,” Blake said. “We’re breaking that stigma. We want to talk about the babies. We don’t want to forget them.”
Blake wrote a proclamation for the city of Gainesville recognizing the cause and presented it at Thursday’s event.
The hospital’s Women’s and Children’s team established the annual gathering to allow families to come together and honor their children. The team includes a combination of healthcare workers, including intensive care unit nurses and postpartum nurses, all on the front lines of this issue.
“Our goal is to provide a safe space for people to come and honor those who have been through it,” said HCA Florida North Florida Hospital spokesperson Lauren Elliot. “This is how we honor, continue to honor our babies.”
Photo by Walker Smith Butterflies are released during a ceremony at HCA Florida North Florida Hospital honoring families who have experienced pregnancy or infant loss.Photo by Walker Smith Dr. Alex Gumeroff speaks during the third annual butterfly release at HCA Florida North Florida Hospital. The event provides a space for parents to remember their children and find support from others who have experienced similar losses.Photo by Walker Smith The Jackson family releases buterflies along with other families and healthcare workers who have experienced infant loss during the third annual butterfly release ceremony on Thursday.Photo by Walker Smith HCA Healthcare workers and families write names on paper butterflies to honor babies lost during pregnancy or infancy at an event on Thursday.Photo by Walker Smith A butterfly clings to the box as Pastor Adrian Taylor of Springhill Church releases butterflies during a ceremony at HCA Florida North Florida Hospital honoring families who have experienced pregnancy or infant loss.
Walker Smith is a visual journalist for Mainstreet Daily News in Gainesville, Florida. Before joining Report for America, Walker’s work was shaped by a diverse job history, from selling cotton candy at a dirt track in high school to working on industrial fishing boats in Alaska during the COVID-19 pandemic. He draws on his blue-collar background and experience in the supply chain to examine labor and rural industry. He holds an M.A. in Visual Communication from Ohio University and completed a photojournalism internship at The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina. When he’s not photographing, he plays saxophone, works on commercial fishing boats, and spends time sailing.
