Loss News:

As always there are many announcements from KotaPress. We hope you will find these helpful, and feel free to contact us via email at info@kotapress.com or via phone at 206-251-6706 if you need further information.

»»KotaPress has opened their Yahoo Group for discussion and support of and for bereaved parents. This is an extension of the "safe space" we offer here at the main site, and we'd like to invite our readers to participate in discussion there. Please note that this Discussion Group is MODERATED, and if I find anyone offering clueless advice to bereaved parents (ie, "It was meant to be" or "It was God's will" etc), then your notes will be deleted and your membership will be cancelled. So please use it as a safe and respectful space for all of us to communicate and offer each other support! Thank you.
For more info, see: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kotapress or

»»If you've suffered a miscarriage, please visit "I Never Held You." The site offers a short but powerful ebook of the same name written by Ellen M. DuBois, who shares her journey through the pain and loss of miscarriage, healing and recovery, (DLSIJ Press), with many online support links, author interview, excerpt from the book and more. It is her goal to reach as many women as possible with her book/website in hopes that women will never feel as alone and isolated as she did when she miscarried. "It's through connection that healing begins."
http://miscarriage.homestead.com/index.html

»»Check out GriefandRenewal.com for the latest updates on Grief & Renewal conferences happening around the world!

»»Thrilled to announce that Elisabeth Hallett's new book "Stories of the Unborn Soul" is just released from iUniverse and LightHearts Publications. If you check out Chapter 21, you'll find it is titled "Dakota's Story" and is lovingly dedicated to our very own KotaPress story. We cannot thank Elisabeth enough for her kindness and for including our work in this way. Check it out!

»»Do you know what PCOS is? If not, you need to know:
Christina's PCOS Pages - oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~cp391990

»»CORRECTION: We at KotaPress have often given information about the divorce rate in couples after the death of a child. Most recently, that statistic was given in our 2nd Quarter issue of the print zine "A Different Kind of Parenting" which was mailed out April 2002. At the MISS Conference in May 2002, we discovered our mistake. According to the 2002 MISS survey, the most recent TCF survey, and the research of Dr. John DeFrain, 80% of couples seek some sort of counsel or facilitation after the death of a child, and divorce rate is somewhere between 7 and 11%. Very sorry for any misrepresentation we previously offered.

»»The state of California did not pass the MISSing Angels Bill. Clueless legislators, Planned Parenthood reps, and the Assoc. for CA Ob/Gyns opposed the bill saying it is a "backdoor way of reporting elective abortions." Too bad they didn't bother to READ the d*mn bill which is about granting BIRTH certificates to women who give BIRTH to STILLBORN babies. It is not about giving BIRTH certificates to women who choose to NOT give birth. Hello????!!!! For more info on the current status of the MISSing Angels Bill, see www.MISSFoundation.org or www.StillNoMore.org.

»»Cathy Fritea's new book "Tiny Hands Change the World" has officially been released here at KotaPress. You can order your copy to day by visiting our eStore at:
www.KotaPress.com/frameBooks.htm and clicking on the "Loss" department. This is a touching narrative of loss, hope, and subsequent birth after stillbirth. Don't miss this!

»»Friends of Mrs. Duck is a subscription membership for $10/month. Your trial period of 2 month/$20 will be billed first; then regular subscription of $10/month will start. By showing your commitment by becoming a Friend of Mrs Duck, you get:

• a free lifetime subscription to the Members-only Newsletters from KotaPress
• a year's free subscription to the quarterly print zine "A Different Kind of Parenting: a zine for parents whose children have died"
• a free copy of the KotaPress Poetry Anthology

AND the best part is your membership subscription directly supports outreach to bereaved parents provided through our Loss Journal and helps us continue to provide support based on the ideas presented in the Mrs. Duck and the Woman book. We also hope you will consider purchasing Sponsored paperback copies of the book as well.

»»KotaPress has landed on Vashon Island with the following new contact information:
Phone: 206-251-6706
Mailing address: PO Box 514, Vashon Island, WA

»»In the Company of Angels:
reading and journaling about loss and mourning
(10 weeks)

The ten-week course, taught by Allegra Wong, begins to explore the mourning process and helps participants define the seasons of grief. Through reading some of the literature of mourning and through journaling (guided exercises), loss is confronted in relationships, current events, and also in the stages of human life. http://www.writers.com/allegrawong.htm
email: ah@meganet.net

»» Gov. Gary Locke signed a proclamation to officially make October 15th "Pregnancy and Infant Loss Day" in Washington state. You can see the proclamation at:
http://www.pain-heartache-hope.com/proclamation_updates.htm

»» Want to support Mrs. Duck?! Now you can make a donation to Mrs. Duck through our non-profit umbrella organization M.I.S.S.. We at KotaPress believe so whole-heartedly in the work of M.I.S.S. that we house the Seattle chapter's web information in our Loss section and we offer them our office space as a base for the Seattle chapter. You can support the Mrs. Duck Project thru SeattleM.I.S.S. which is the Seattle, WA, local chapter for the national non-profit org M.I.S.S.ing (Mission for Infant Survival & Stillbirth In Natural Grieving/ Mothers In Sympathy & Support).

M.I.S.S. recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3 with a tax ID number. The national office is physically located in Arizona, and the website is hosted at www.MissChildren.org. If you wish to support the Mrs. Duck Project, you can send a check or money order donation to the SeattleM.I.S.S. group with a note asking that that funds be earmarked for Mrs. Duck. They will use 80% of the donation to fund the making of more Mrs. Duck books which we give away free. 10% will go toward the local chapter so they can continue offering free support group meetings, one-on-one crisis help, and mailing outreach literature. And the last 10% will go to the national office to support their outreach and the medical research that is happening about stillbirth at The Pregnancy Institute. The SeattleM.I.S.S. is registered with the state of Washington Charities Programs. For more information, please feel free to email or call Kara at 206-251-6706.

You'll have to remember to keep checking back here for the latest, or you could just:

»» Check out our free eNewsletter! KotaPress offers an online eNewsletter free upon request. If you wish to subscribe, please email us at info@kotapress.com asking for a subscription. (We do not sell our mailing list to third parties— we will use your address ONLY to contact you directly.)