ABSTRACT

This chapter dedicates to the brave parents and grandparents who have shared their experiences and more importantly, the lives and memories of their babies. When organizational leaders practice what Chris Patti calls “compassionate listening,” bereaved mothers feel seen. The validation of the lives of their children and the grief they experience provides healing beyond the physical. Organizational leaders are wise to cultivate and honor the relationships. Privileging the voices that would otherwise remain unheard provides insight that simply cannot be captured any other way. The symbiotic relationship between organizations, born from personal tragedy and built from personal narratives, is generating exponential good. Bereaved parents are empowered and given an avenue to create a legacy for their deceased children, and the hospital system has developed protocols and programs informed by the lived experiences of the people it serves.