WALDFRIEDE HOSPITAL THANKS CAFÉ CREATIV IN LÜBECK

The Café Creativ of the Lübeck church in the Hanse Conference has supported Waldfriede Hospital over the last years with beautifully sewn star beds. Chaplain Gerhard Menn of Waldfriede Hospital has now expressed his sincere gratitude for the work of the group who sew little star beds (blankets) for stillborn children to be buried in.
Four years ago, Waldfriede Hospital had to work out a concept at very short notice as to how to deal with stillborn children. In Germany a hospital where a child is stillborn is responsible for these children who never had a chance to live. Every woman who has ever lost a child even in the early weeks of pregnancy knows how painful these moments are, when life seems to stop. It is the most brutal thing that can happen to a mother. Pastoral care is very important in these sad moments. This offer is accepted by people of all religions and denominations. The hospital staff accompany the families when they want to say goodbye to their child and offer a space of mourning when funerals are conducted. Each child is placed in his or her own little box and wrapped in a star bed made by the women of the Café Creativ. Each star bed has a little heart, which is made of the same fabric as the bed. At the end of the ceremony a midwife presents the mother with the heart, which is made of the same fabric as the bed in which the child is laid, and a non-lighted candle for the unlived life of the child to commemorate the moment. This is an incredibly meaningful symbol. Parents pick up these hearts and feel emotionally connected to their children.
The other great and blessed help from Café Creativ are bags that patients with an artificial bowel outlet can get and slip over a transparent so-called stoma bag. This covering helps them come to terms with their condition.
Gerhard Menn expressed heartfelt thanks to the team around Sandra Groß, saying that their work is meaningful mission service. Mission is to show people in the name of God that they are not left alone, so that they find special comfort and are motivated to live.
Photos: Café Creativ