At Precious Wings we are passionate about helping families who are faced with the devastating loss of their child. We supply Memory Boxes to hospitals across Queensland and these are given to families who lose a baby, of any gestation, and to families who lose a child up to the age of 16, regardless of cause of death. We also supply miscarriage memory bags to early pregnancy units and emergency departments and provide free education sessions to hospital staff about caring for bereaved families. We have also recently started donating memory boxes to families where an adult is dying or has died, especially if there are children involved. We work with palliative care services in the hospital and the community and donate memory boxes to funeral homes and directly to families.

 

The creation of Precious Wings was driven by the experience of the loss of our own babies and the strong belief that similarly bereaved families would benefit greatly from the support and comfort that the receipt of memory boxes would provide. We never imagined just how much those families would appreciate that support. The positive feedback has been overwhelming. Unfortunately, the need is great and our capacity is limited. Precious Wings currently relies heavily on community support, corporate donations and our own fundraising activities to maintain the service to hospitals and families. Also, many of our donations come from families who have received one of our memory boxes or from their own family or friends who have seen the comfort they provide.

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We are the only charity we know of that donates memory boxes to hospitals when older children or adults pass away. We donate them to Emergency Departments, Paediatric Intensive Care Units, Children’s wards and Palliative Care Services. In particular, we work with the palliative care teams so they can provide our boxes when they first meet families whose child has sadly been given a terminal diagnosis. The boxes support nurses and social workers to start important conversations and provide a means for the family to start making memories early while their child is still alive.

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Precious Wings provides its services to families (the ultimate beneficiaries) via the following institutions:

• Adult Cancer Care Services at RBWH, Gold Coast Hospital, St Vincents Hospital and Princes Alexandria Hospital (memory boxes are given to young Mum’s and Dad’s dying of cancer for their children)​

• Buderim Private Hospital

• Bundaberg Hospital

• Caboolture Hospital

• Cairns Base Hospital

• Cairns Private Hospital

• Charleville Hospital

• Cloncurry Hospital

• George Hartnett Metropolitan Funerals, White Lady Funerals, Simplicity Funerals, Mccartney Family Funerals, Caring Angel Funerals, Bethel Funerals, Logan Funerals, KM Smith Funerals, Alex Gow Funerals, Holy Cross Funerals

• Gladstone Hospital

• Gold Coast Hospital

• Greenslopes Hospital

• Gympie Hospital

• Hervey Bay Hospital

• Hummingbird House

• Innisfail Hospital

• Ipswich Community Nurses

• Ipswich Hospice

• Ipswich Hospital

• John Tonge Forensic Services

• Karuna Hospice

• Lismore Base Hospital, NSW

• Little Haven Hospice

• Logan Hospital

• Mackay Base Hospital

• Mater Mother’s Hospital

• Mater Private Hospital, Rockhampton

• Metro North Community Palliative Care

• Nambour Hospital

• Northwest Private Hospital

• Prince Charles Hospital

• Princess Alexandria Hospital (Cancer Care)

• Queensland Children’s Hospital

• Redcliffe Hospital

• Redlands Hospital

• Rockhampton Base Hospital

• Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital

• St Andrews Private Hospital Ipswich

• St Vincent's Palliative Care

• St Vincent's Private Hospital, Toowoomba

• Sunnybank Private Hospital

• Sunshine Coast University Hospital

• Toowoomba Hospital

• Townsville Hospital

• Tweed Hospital, NSW

• Warwick Hospital

• Weipa Hospital

• Wesley Hospital

• Yeppoon Hospital

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Our Stories

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Kerry Gordon - Founder and CEO Precious Wings - In Loving Memory of Toby
 

My beautiful son Toby was stillborn at 22 weeks on 17th November 2011. Giving birth to my much loved and much wanted baby when I knew he would not cry and I would not be able to see the colour of his eyes was the hardest most devastating thing I have ever had to do. Instead of carrying home my beautiful new-born baby boy to his excited big brother, I carried home the shattered remains of my life with no idea how to piece it back together. There is no guide as to how to navigate this unspeakable loss. I found myself feeling isolated and alone. I desperately trawled the internet trying to find others that I could connect to who had experienced a similar loss. I was terrified of reintegrating back into society and felt judged and pressured to ‘get back to normal’

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As a paediatric nurse, I work with sick children all the time, watch their suffering and have supported many families who have lost their beloved children, yet nothing in my life prepared me for the sorrow and utter devastation of losing my own child. I never in a million years thought this would happen to me; these things happen to other people. Toby will always be a part of our lives and we will never forget him. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of him and wish things had been different.

Losing Toby was not only a heartbreaking time but also a very lonely and isolating one. I needed to connect with others that had been through similar experiences and understood my pain. When you have a child, your instinct is to protect them; when you lose a child, your instinct is to protect their memory. When Toby died, I did not want it to be in vain and I was passionate about helping other bereaved families and keeping his memory alive. As a paediatric nurse working in Emergency and Palliative Care, I have sadly cared for many families that have lost a baby or child in sudden and traumatic circumstances. After losing Toby, it really made me reflect on how we care for bereaved families when they lose a child and what a difference that care can make to the grieving process. I am dedicated to improving the bereavement care and support provided to bereaved families and ensuring all families have access to resources to create precious memories of their child.

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Kirsty McKay - Director Precious Wings - In Loving Memory of George Vincent

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The 25th of February 2015 is a day forever etched into my memory. I should have been remembering a date later in the year – my third child’s birthday. However, on this day our beautiful son, George Vincent was stillborn.My world stopped. How could such a devastating thing happen. How was I going to carry on. I’d gone to my regular 24-week obstetric appointment and found out there that George had no heartbeat. I’ll never forget that devastating moment. Ever.

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George was the first of our babies that we’d decided to find out the sex of before he was born, so that made choosing a name a little easier. We were now choosing a name for our child who was no longer living. George for my stepfather and my husband’s father’s middle name. Vincent for my husband’s grandfather and his father and brother’s middle names.

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While in the hospital, and while I was still with my precious baby boy, a Precious Wings memory box arrived for me. A special box designed to keep George’s belongings. One of the first things that caught my attention was that it had been donated by another family in loving memory of their child. Seeing that name gave me hope. Another family had been through the loss of their child and had given back. If they could survive this, then so could I. 

George’s Memory Box helped me leave the hospital, I carried it out in my arms when I couldn't carry my baby. I still lovingly look through it. It gives me so much comfort.

 

Since losing George I have become involved with Precious Wings. I’ve met so many amazing families who are navigating the loss of their children. I know that the work we do continues to offer families some sense of comfort, just as it did for me when we lost George. I am so grateful to Precious Wings – not only for being there during my darkest days to offer a little ray of love and hope, but also since, for allowing me to be involved and give back in memory of my precious baby boy.

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