A Gown for an Angel

A Gown for an Angel
By Randi McGee

She was born too early. Not too early to experience her parents’ and grandparents’ love, or to be accepted and welcomed into the world. She was just born too early for her tiny body to sustain the vigorous demands of newborn life. She fought hard to live; her parents and grandparents loved her and prayed for her; the medical staff did all they could to help her. It wasn’t enough, however, and little Madeline Marie (Maddie) died at the age of just seven weeks.

Her parents, in the grip of an unfathomable loss, were now faced with yet another seemingly impossible challenge. They had to find a way to say good-bye to the baby girl they barely had the chance to say hello to. The tiny outfits that a mother receives at a baby shower might be darling on a living child, but where does someone go to find a burial gown for a tiny baby – and a preemie at that?

It was out of this unimaginable and unlooked-for loss that the Mary Madeline Project was founded by little Maddie’s grandmother, Carlin Kammerer. It was named in memory of Madeline Marie, and dedicated to “all the babies before and after her that have touched our lives.” This non-profit organization seeks to provide comfort and support to families who have suffered the loss of an infant by donating tiny burial clothes made from donated wedding gowns.

The tiny burial gowns are lovingly made by volunteers from the donated wedding gowns, and are given as a gift to the grieving parents to dress their little ones. The volunteers also sew, knit and crochet to create blankets from donated yarns and other materials. The Mary Madeline Project provides infant burial clothes to all of the hospitals in Omaha, Council Bluffs and Lincoln. The infant burial gowns are given to Neonatal Intensive Care Units for babies who die in the Neonatal period, and to labor and delivery units for stillborn babies. All this is done to help provide comfort and some measure of stress relief to grieving families.

Donated wedding gowns may be given in memory of a loved one. If this is the case, all of the burial clothes and gowns made from that particular wedding gown will bear a “memory tag” with the deceased loved one’s name on it.

If you are interested in donating your wedding gown or in helping in any other way, please contact:
In Omaha:    Carlin Kammerer    402.551.7574
In Council Bluffs:    Betty Rowland    712.322.6044

Cash donations are also welcomed to help defray the cost of various supplies and administrative costs. Donations can be sent to: P O Box 6207, Omaha, NE 68106.

For more information regarding Maddie or The Mary Madeline Project, you can visit their website at: www.MaryMadelineProject.org.