Five Hills royalty honor families experiencing infant loss

Special to Leader-Press 

Copperas Cove Five Hills Ambassador Dawn Hale slowly opened the envelope as younger titleholders gathered around her waiting to see what was inside. As Hale opened the final flap, the enclosed butterfly escaped and took flight, representing optimism and serving as a symbol for a healing environment for families who have experienced the loss of a baby.
October is National Infant and Pregnancy Loss Awareness Month. AdventHealth hosted a remembrance ceremony to support families who have experienced this tragedy. 
“The ceremony was such a moving event. Hearing about the journeys that parents have endured with the loss of a child touched my heart deeply,” Hale said. “Our attendance and participation in the ceremony is vital to their healing so they know as a community that we care and are here for their families.” 
For Brookelynn Spitzer, who is the mother of Baby Miss Five Hills Blakely Spitzer and is pregnant with her second child, the ceremony was especially meaningful. 
“Hearing families share their stories was heartwarming. Releasing the butterflies at the end was amazing. Each butterfly released represented a child that passed due to miscarriage, stillborn, and many other reasons,” Spitzer said. “I brought my child, Blakely, to this event to show her the meaning of losing a child. Even though she is young, it’s a start in teaching her to be empathetic toward others.”
Little Miss Five Hills Braelyn Liles gasped as the butterflies appeared and took flight. Her mother, Christy Liles said her daughter may be young, but she already understands that other families need her love and prayers. 
“(Infant loss) is a tragedy that many women face and are left to try to heal from this pain,” Liles said. “These remembrance events reassure parents that their babies are not forgotten and are mourned for by others as they also mourn. We send much love and prayers for healing to all moms and families that have had to say goodbye long before they had hoped.”
Purple balloons led guests to the entrance where the event was held on the AdventHealth campus. Guests signed in upon arrival and received purple carnations along with envelopes containing live butterflies that guests set free during the ceremony.   
Copperas Cove Five Hills Junior Ambassador Maddox Tobias’ mother, Jillian Tobias, said it was a beautiful, heartfelt ceremony.
“Experiencing loss was unfortunately something we were also coping with during the ceremony, and while it was not the same type of loss, I knew Maddox at age five would empathize with these families and he most certainly did,” Tobias said. “The ceremony showed Maddox another example of how strong a community can be when we come together and support one another.”