Christmas Service of Remembrance 2009This years beautiful Christmas Service of Remembrance in St. Nicholas of Myra Church was had recorded on DVD for our archives. These Services of Remembrances are an important part of our journey as a charity and a wonderful record of our sharing and remembering as parents and families.The cost per DVD is ?15 (including postage). Please send a postal order or cheque, made payable to ISANDS Carmichael House, 4 North Brunswick Street,Dublin 7 There are a limited number available so if you would like to have a record for your own keepsakes please place your order soon.Funding fr om HSE...we are gratefulThe National Executive of ISANDS would like to once again express our sincere gratitude to the Minister for Health & Children and the Health Service Executive Offi cials for their continued support and funding in the past year. In 2009 we received ?34,650. for which we are most grateful. This is of enormous help to our charity to use towards of our support services. It also allows us to use funds we are able to raise ourselves to develop our support services, literature and website. Costs have increased so much over that past few years and now in these harder times surplus money is scarce to give to charities. We appreciate being considered worthy of funding and thank everyone concerned for the continued support.National Executive, ISANDSSymphysiotomy SurvivorsMany of you may have seen the Primetime Documentary on R.T.E., which featured an investigation about women who had been subjected to a procedure while in child birth called symphysiotomy. The investigation established that 1,500 women underwent the procedure here, which involved sawing through the pelvic bone to assist with childbirth without the mothers permission.It frequently left the women with chronic physical pain and incontinence and grieving. The procedure was abandoned in most maternity units in the 1960s, but continued until 1983 in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.The programme also highlighted that some of these women also experienced the death of their baby, prior, during or after the procedure.It is unthinkable that this could have happened to these mothers. It is hard enough to cope with the death of a baby under normal circumstances but there is nothing normal about this. How any mother survived to tell the brave story is amazing. They have a support group SOS who are working tirelessly to seek answers and recognition. We made contact with them to offer support to those who have had a loss and acknowledge their grieving hearts. We wish all of these mothers well in the future and hope that peace comes in some way to ease the pain of their experiences.Miscarriage Association of Ireland Annual Service of RemembranceParents, friends and families gathered to remember their children at the Annual Service of Remembrance organised by the Miscarriage Association in November. It was a lovely welcoming place to bring the memory of our children and everyone one took away some peace in their hearts as a result.Well done June, your committee and to all concerned. isands newsletter40

New FundraisingISANDS Teddy Bear Picnic Pack and Afternoon Tea Packs are a novel idea to help organise a fun day/afternoon in memory of your baby. Or indeed for a family member, friend, colleague to organise to remember a family who have had a loss.The packs contain ideas and suggestions to put it all together. The packs contain tea bags for Afternoon Tea and balloons for the Teddy Bears Picnic.To receive either packs it is necessary to register the even with us by email to info@isands.ie or by calling 01 872 6996.Hopefully we will have lots of sunny days for both this Summer.Ideasisands newsletter41