Organization offers families way to honor children lost during birth

By Andy Hislop

The Lily Pad Project is an organization that makes memory boxes and burial kits for families that have lost children at birth. The founder of the project requested to remain anonymous. The idea came to her after her daughter Lily was stillborn. She also had a brother and sister in law whose child was stillborn.
A seamstress by trade she started making memory boxes and burial kits and donating them to Castleview Hospital. She enlisted the help of the Sterling Scholars at Emery High. Her son Levi organized all the items in the kits. “I’m a strong believer in the project and it’s very beneficial for the families,” he said. Nephew Edward participated as part of his Eagle Scout endeavor. “These kids are rock stars, they worked so hard,” she said. She’d also like to thank Magnusson Lumber for donating timber and other businesses that contributed to the project.
Sheremy McEvoy lost a child at birth and was comforted by the Lily Pad Project. “I was pregnant when I first heard about Lily Pad. On August 9 I had placental abruption which cuts of oxygen and the baby didn’t make it,” she said. The project made a tuxedo out of her wedding dress for son Kyle Peter to be buried in. The burial kit also contained two blankets and two teddy bears. One blanket and one teddy bear were put in the grave and the other two she got to keep. Sheremy also received a memory box containing two necklaces, with a heart and an affinity symbol. “How thankful I am for the Lily Pad. Little things to hang onto, really comforting I think. The best part is that she’s been through it too, she knows what you’re going through,” she concluded.
Kristin Unsworth also lost her child. No heartbeat, stillborn at 22 weeks. “Very comforting to have something that gave me a connection to the baby. The necklace becomes one of my treasured items,” she said of the Lily Pad Project memory boxes. Matching bracelets for her two daughters. Matching teddy bears for her two sons and husband. Her daughter Ave Bethany buried with the other necklace and one of the matching crocheted blankets. “It makes me happy and reminds me of how special she was to us” said Kristin.