SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — "My son Jordan Hart was born in July of 2019," said Alicia O’Neill.
While pregnant with her third son, doctors told O’Neill he would not survive after being diagnosed with a lethal skeletal dysplasia.
"He was not supposed to survive the birth, quite frankly, what we were told prior, and he did survive the birth. He lived for about a little over 40 minutes, and he died in our arms," said O’Neill.
O’Neill delivered Jordan at 31 weeks.
Heartbroken, at the hospital, she was given a weighted bear called a ‘Comfort Cub’ to provide some relief, something she still has today.
"It was a blessing to receive the cub in the hospital because I was actually able to have our cub near Jordan. And so my Jordan bear has touched Jordan's skin and was there with him, and I have photos of him and the cub. And so, it's just a reminder that he was here and that he existed," said O’Neill.
For her birthday that year, O’Neill held a fundraiser so other families could have one too.
The Comfort Cub is based in San Diego.
Marcella Johnson founded the nonprofit in 1999 after she lost her son George the day he was born.
"The reason that I created him was not only because it helped soothe the pain that I was feeling in my heart and my arms, but leaving the hospital empty-handed with nothing in my arms was one of the worst moments of my life," said O’Neill.
Johnson says she was suffering from takotsubo cardiomyopathy or broken heart syndrome, something the weighted cub helped ease.
According to the National Library of Medicine, one in four women will experience a miscarriage in their lifetime.
Globally, each year, more than two million children die within their first 20 days of life.
October is National Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month.
On October 15th, together with another local nonprofit called Empty Cradle, The Comfort Cub is hosting a Wave of Light event at Kellogg Park in La Jolla Shores, starting at 5:30pm to honor them all.
Simultaneously at sunset joining families from around the world, they'll light candles and make lanterns with their child's name as a tribute to them, and as a way to comfort those grieving their loss.
"When you lose a loved one, you are thinking about them all the time, and it's actually very comforting to know that somebody else is remembering them," said Johnson.
"We should be sharing our joys and our hurts and our pain and our sorrow, and coming together as a community so that we can really lift each other up and support one another, so that it doesn't feel so isolating," said O’Neill.