Only someone who goes through stillbirth and the loss of a child can ever begin to understand such pains. For this couple who lost their baby 10 years ago, they have continued to visit the grave of their baby. All the while, they cannot help but mourn for the babies with not even a headstone on their grave.
The Misfortune of Babies with Unmarked Graves
This year marks what should have been the tenth birthday of Jonas Morgan. Every year, his parents would make an intentional effort to honor their Jonas. This year, their hearts go out to around 80 babies buried in the same burial place as their son—but that such babies do not even have a headstone on their graves, 5NewsOnline reported. People could just walk past their graves without knowing that a baby is buried there.
Beside the Grave of Their Baby
Besides their son Jonas' grave lies a baby with an unmarked grave. Upon knowing that a baby lies there, the family decided they want to put a headstone on that grave and so many other graves in that area called "Baby Land," which is located in Rogers Cemetery.
The family has seen graves with fresh dirt on the burial plot. They know a baby was buried there. Then the grass grows on top of the grave, and there was nothing to indicate a grave. Brandi said some graves only had a small paper marker that would struggle to keep its place due to harsh weather conditions.
Family Who Lost Child Starts Fundraiser
The GoFundMe fundraiser was started by the mother of Baby Jonas, Brandi Morgan. Their family has spoken with the cemetery and a local monument company on how they can help place gravestones on the unmarked graves of babies.
The family understands that not all families who experience the loss of a child can afford a headstone. Still, there are also circumstances where the grieving parent may not face the overwhelming emotions of burying their child. Picking out a headstone may be too much for some grieving families.
The Morgans are trying to raise 5,000 USD to help purchase the headstones. The monument company is offering them a significant discount as a way of helping out. The cemetery is also helping by providing details of the babies, such as their names, dates of birth, and dates of death.
Remembering the Babies Families Have Lost
Brandi said that their efforts go beyond just placing headstones on the unmarked graves. She noted that bringing about the awareness that now people are talking about what is happening is also one of the things they want to accomplish.
To know that the baby existed, there is a family behind every grave, even not knowing what the baby looked like, just so people can see, read, and remember these babies and their families.
Families of the babies will also have the option to remove the headstones if they so wish. Should there be money left over of their $5,000 GoFundMe goal, the family plans to use the funds to continue extending help to families who are unable to place a headstone on the grave of a child.
