Balloon Launch Unites Bereaved Families

On June 18, the Redlands Chapter of The Compassionate Friends hosted a memorial balloon launch to help parents who have lost a child remember their lost loved ones at the First Congregational Church. Participants wrote messages on balloons to remember their children who have passed away. In times of tragedy, comfort can be derived from the support and empathy of those who have similar experiences, and that’s what the balloon launch hoped to give. Families penned messages to lost loved ones, placed them into balloons, and then released them into the air. “The purpose of the balloon launch is to honor the memories of all the children of all ages and circumstances of death that have left too soon,” according to a statement released by the Redlands Chapter TCF. Bereaved parents, grandparents, siblings and other family members and friends were invited to participate in the ceremony that evening, which also featured guest speakers Lauren Briggs, former chapter leader, and Dorothy Brooks, child life specialist and Grief Camps coordinator at Loma Linda Hospital. “We had about 50 people who showed up, and 22 were core members,” said Compassionate Friends Redlands Chapter leader Crystal Czarniak, a longtime Redlands resident who has been with the chapter for nearly six years. “We have people join us for this event because they know we [host] it. There are people who come in from all over the Inland Empire,” she said, noting that visitors travel from nearby cities like Colton, Grand Terrace and Rialto to participate in the balloon launch. The group receives nearly 20 new parents each year—unfortunately, shared Czarniak, a prerequisite for membership is to be a bereaved parent, grandparent or sibling—and the launch is one of a few ways the organization extends its support. “We want to provide ongoing support for these parents and we invite family and friends to come out. We offer a moment for memory,” she said. Working closely with Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, the group sees many parents of former LLUCH patients. Speakers at the event provided “words of support” for parents and family, said Czarniak. “There’s no such thing as closure,” said Lauren Briggs, the group’s current treasurer and past chapter leader, who spoke at the event. She is also a member of the chapter’s founding steering committee. “We learn to live with our new ‘normal.’ But once our lives have been touched by tragedy, we are never the same. That doesn’t mean we will walk around under a black cloud for the rest of our lives. We will find new purpose and meaning, but our lives will never be the same,” she said. Reaching out to grieving families—both chapter members and non-members—the memorial balloon launch gives them a sense of community. “When in the throes of our own grief, we tend to think that no one else has ever felt this way or been through this. And when we come together, we are reminded that we are not alone,” said Briggs. The Compassionate Friends, Redlands Chapter meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Congregational Church, 2 West Olive Street, Redlands.