Wave of Lights Ceremony

Oct 12, 2018 | 2:22 PM

PRINCE GEORGE —  Monday is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness day, and ceremonies are taking place across the country. Here in Prince George, Shayla Mena is organizing the Wave of Lights ceremony, a memorial service for families to remember their lost children. 

Shayla Mena shares in the hardships that come after losing a child. Mena had three miscarriages before learning she was pregnant. In January, Mena gave birth to her son, Xavier. Then, in May, after putting Xavier down for a nap, Mena immediately knew that something was wrong.

“I had laid him down for a nap and I went to check on him and he was blue and not breathing, my sister and I had both performed CPR,” says Shayla Mena

Xavier passed away when he was 4 months old. After losing her son, Mena joined a support group where she was inspired to show families that they’re not alone by holding the Wave of Lights ceremony.

When a family loses a child, the grief they experience is usually kept hidden – even though pregnancy and infant loss is more common than most people realize.

“What happens is when people themselves experience these things they don’t have the words or the culture to share it. So they don’t realize that they have this community around them, but it’s just invisible to them,” says Sarah Hilbert-West, a midwife with Westhill Midwifery.

The wave of lights ceremony is being held on Monday in Prince George at Artspace.