Full Circle Grief Center

Our son, Jude Wallace LeTard, finally made his way into our arms on September 23rd, 2018 after a long and ultimately unsuccessful labor. He was perfect in every way we could imagine, but the labor had unknowingly been too much stress on his body and he passed away in our arms three hours after he was born. The details of our story are messy and confusing. Over a year later, we still do not even understand what happened. I had a non emergent C section due to arrested labor. He was full term, structurally perfect and never showed any signs of distress during labor. Yet, once he was born, there was nothing that could be done to save his life. I have found that it has been impossibly hard for me to talk about my experience because people often don’t want to even acknowledge that something like this could happen. That you could go into labor naturally, do all of the things right, and still not get your baby. That you could lose a child with absolutely no real explanation. My husband and I left the hospital with empty arms and a gaping hole in our hearts. Everyone around us was bringing home healthy babies and we felt like we were the only people in the world who had failed to give our baby a chance at life.

I really cannot even describe how helpful it was for us both to join Full Circle’s Perinatal Loss Group, a free of charge group dedicated to bringing together families who have experienced late term pregnancy or infant losses. The group allowed me to see that we were not alone in our grief. It connected me with five other amazing women who served as my motivation to keep going. 

Shortly after finishing the 8 week group, my husband and I learned that we were pregnant with our second child a mere 6 months after giving birth to and losing Jude. To say we were terrified is an understatement. Would this happen again? Would some other terrible loss happen? Would I have a miscarriage or a stillbirth this time? Would people think we were trying to replace Jude? The very weak sense of stability that I had worked so hard to create in our perinatal loss group came crashing down. I found myself in a uniquely difficult position in which I realized that I was now a trigger to my group members that I had grown to rely upon heavily. I also found myself a trigger to myself and felt like I was back to square one with my loneliness. I didn't fit into a group of newly expecting moms. I didn’t fit into a group of loss moms. It felt like I didn’t fit anywhere. This is why I reached out to Full Circle to ask them to create a Pregnancy After Loss Group. There are no other groups like it in Richmond and the need is profound. A pregnancy after loss is not the same as any other pregnancy. It is full of unique fears and pain and families deserve to be connected with others who understand. 

I am now one month away from meeting our second son and I am thrilled to see that Full Circle is making my dream of a Pregnancy After Loss Group a reality. So, in order to honor Jude in the month before we meet his little brother, my husband and I have decided to raise as much money as we can to help Full Circle bring this group to life starting Jan 2020. Any size contribution big or small will help Full Circle and will honor all of the babies who lost their lives too soon. Thank you for reading my story and for contributing to this amazing organization.

Grief touches everyone.

Right here in our community, over 108,000 children are grieving the death of a parent or sibling.

We are in an opioid crisis in Virginia. Richmond City had the second highest number of opioid overdoses in 2017.  Locally, fatal drug overdoses cause more deaths than car accidents and gun-related incidents.

Approximately 1,050 suicides occur per year in Virginia, with the suicide rate currently at its highest in 10 years.  Locally, suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 15-34.

In 2016, there were over 4,300 fetal deaths and 557 infant deaths in Virginia.

There are many individuals among us grieving the death of a loved one due to these traumatic, sudden deaths. According to health experts, many who need professional support to cope after these types of traumatic deaths are not receiving it due to lack of resources or inability to pay, jeopardizing their long-term mental and physical health.

Luckily, in Richmond, they can find the professional grief support they need at Full Circle Grief Center.  

Full Circle's mission is to provide comprehensive, professional bereavement support to children, families, and the community.

One of our goals is to provide professionally-led loss specific programming, offered at no cost, to decrease the effects of traumatic grief and improve one's outlook for the future.  In the last four years, Full Circle added a Perinatal Loss Group, a Suicide Loss Group, and an Overdose Loss Group to meet the needs of those grieving these types of losses so prevalent in Richmond and the surrounding areas. These free groups almost always operate on a wait list.

Full Circle continues to offer our original Hands on Healing groups for children and their families that have experienced the death of someone significant to them, serving 200 children and adults each year.

Every year, this online campaign helps us ensure we can continue offering these groups at no charge.

As Full Circle reaches it's 10th anniversary - we are celebrating 10 years of healing...with 10 Days of Giving!

You can make a difference. We need your help immediately. Donate now. Every bit helps!

Donate in memory of a loved one or in honor of someone special to you.
When you donate, on the first screen in “Comments,” write “In memory of…” or “In honor of…”
Come back any time to view the campaign progress and heartwarming acknowledgments.

Thank you for your help!! Your support is crucial to families who are dealing with a devastating and life-altering loss.