MISS Foundation Updates
Lots of news from the MISS Foundation this month. If you take a look at the other articles here in the KotaPress Loss Journal this month (Aug 2002), you'll find that MISS Directors Joanne Cacciatore and Elisabeth Kubler-Ross made a formal announcement to the press to give a rebuttal to the UK research that the Lancet Medical Journal sadly published and then publicized around the US. Please take a few moments to read what Kubler-Ross has pointed out about this flawed research that is (sadly) having profound ripples in the medical and bereavement worlds.
You'll also find another article here about MA being the fourth state to pass the MISSing Angels Bill! Congrats to all involved in that as I know it was a two year battle. One day every state will acknowledge the fact that although our children are dead, we did indeed have to *give birth* to them -- hence a birth certificate is the least they could do to acknowledge the lives and deaths of our babies. In the meantime, a big fat thanks to MA!
In other news, the MISS Foundation store is now offering amazing prints
of the work of spiritual artist, Rassouli. All profits from the sales
of these paintings will go to the MISS Family Services Programs, and you'll
be getting an amazing piece of artwork in exchange! MISS is a philanthropic,
IRS 501 (c) 3 corporation committed to helping families enduring the death
of their child. And Rassouli does beautiful pieces that seem to show a
vision of peace and beauty that speaks to the bereaved heart directly.
Check out Rassouli's MISS Art Gallery and read more about the MISS-Rssouli
partnership at:
www.missfoundation.org/miss_shop/rassouli/rassoulibio.html
Then we found that MISS was just all over the media this past month!
Very exciting to see so much happening on the awareness front! In the
AZ Phoenix area, on Channel 15 they covered Asena Nicolosi's story of
her daughter, Mya. Though we couldn't see it here in WA state, Joanne
did write to say, "It is a brief, but moving, story."
Also, it was very exciting to hear that Katie Hodge, MISS Director of
Operations, was featured on the Discovery Channel in a show called "Deadly
Crossings" that aired first on July 24. Again, I don't have or do
TV, so we weren't actually able to see the show ourselves, but Katie did
send me a note to say the show aired twice on the Discovery Channel and
that she felt the producers had done a great job covering the story. In
her interview, Katie had the opportunity to talk about her son Blake and
her work with the RED MEANS STOP Campaign. Blake was killed when another
driver ran a red light and hit the car in which Katie and Blake were riding.
I don't know if the Discovery Channel will offer "Deadly Crossings"
on video/dvd or not, but it's worth a surf over to their website to inquire!
And lastly, we just got email today (August 4th) to say that the Boston Globe Magazine ran a full color & coverage article about grief after pregnancy loss and stillbirth. The MISS Foundation was prominently featured in that article and you can see it at:
www.boston.com/globe/magazine/2002/0804/coverstory_entire.htm
If you have time, drop a note to the Boston Globe editor and say thanks
for giving this topic the coverage is so needs in the country and around
the world!
Think that's it for this month. I'm sure there will be more next month. And as always feel free to check in with MISS directly at:
Biography
Kara lives on Vashon Island which is a much more awesome place than she
ever imagined it would be. She is a poet, bookmaker, wife, teacher, bereaved
mom, facilitator, receptionist, founder, struggling p.t.barnum, turtle
faithful, editor, artist, and a million other things that will prevent
you from putting her in any one particular label box! Kara teaches through
local art centers, artists in the schools programs, KotaPress and independently.
To find out more about her, see:
http://www.KotaPress.com/kara/karajones.htm
Take an online class with Kara:
http://www.coursebridge.com/html/courses/writing/cbep01.asp
