Wings of Hope Angel Garden
Edward Hospital's Wings of Hope Angel Garden is a special place where parents who have lost a baby can honor their child’s life.
View pictures of the garden
Inspiration for the garden, which opened in 2010, came from four SHARE moms, in partnership with the Edward Foundation. SHARE is a national support network for anyone whose life has been touched by the tragic loss of a child through miscarriage, stillbirth or early infant death. Find a SHARE support group.
The four moms, Carrie Wrona of Plainfield, Laura Morgan of Naperville, Stephanie Fiore of Lisle and Amanda Albaugh of Oswego, had all participated in SHARE groups following their own losses in 2004 and 2005. They promoted the idea of the new garden, offered input into the design, and provided funds raised through A Walk to Remember, an annual event since 2005.
"It's important that grieving parents have a place to go to seek peace and comfort," says Wrona. "I lost my son, Jacob, in 2004. You never completely get over this kind of loss, but helping make the new garden a reality has let us put our grief into something positive that can help other families."
The Wings of Hope Angel Garden is located close to Edward Hospital’s South entrance. Visitors to the garden will find a soothing and serene environment, featuring brick walls (including a butterfly wall where parents can memorialize their baby), benches, a fountain and lovely plants that attract butterflies.
"The wings of the angel and of the butterflies gave us the idea for the name of the garden," says Wrona. "The wings of hope for a better tomorrow help carry us through the difficult times."
Parents can use the garden to start a family tradition of visiting their baby’s memorial, especially if there wasn’t a formal funeral service or a gravesite. Many families attend the Wings of Hope Angel Garden Annual Blessing, which includes a butterfly release, held in the garden in June.
Families are invited to purchase a memorial feature for the garden, such as an etched brick paver, etched butterfly or garden element. For more information, contact 630-527-3263.
Edward SHARE is grateful to the donors who helped make this garden possible, including a number of medical staff members and Edward employees, and DuPage Valley Anesthesiologists for donating the fountain. The following companies also donated a portion of their services in order to make this Garden a reality: Clarence David and Company, Hitchcock Design, and Power Construction.