2.1 - Volunteer Orientation Web Site - Perinatal Bereavement Services Ontario

2.1

History of Perinatal Bereavement Services Ontario

Dorothy Hrischenko

"We had each suffered our own loss, and believed that there was a tremendous need for bereaved parents to receive sensitive and timely support..."

- Anne Smith

It all Began with a Common Need

Over a decade ago, there were four Moms who had suffered through the death of their babies. Although each loss was as unique as the women themselves, the feelings of heartbreak and grief were common to them all. With nowhere else to go for support, they turned to each other for help. They shared their experiences and gave guidance and friendship in a way that no one else could. Over time they found renewed strength and realized that there were other bereaved parents – just like themselves – who were suffering in silence.

Anne Smith, Jan Pearce, Ingrid Fazio and Ute Nunes turned their grief into positive action. They quickly discovered that in helping others, they were helping themselves. They wanted other bereaved parents to know that they were not alone. There were caring people who understood their grief. So, in 1993, PBSO was formally registered as a charity.

Biographies

Anne Smith - R.N., P.H.N. Dip, RTS Coordinator
Anne is a caring and compassionate individual who has spent all of her 30-year career helping others. She graduated from the Windsor Grace Hospital School of Nursing and received her public health diploma from the University of Windsor.

A perinatally bereaved parent herself, Anne has worked with bereaved parents and families since 1980. She volunteered with the Windsor Canadian Mental Health Bereavement program where she launched her compassionate, health promotion and preventative approach to perinatal bereavement care. In 1985, she founded and coordinated a bereavement program at the Scarborough Grace Hospital in Toronto, Ontario.

Over the years, Anne has lead support groups, spoken at baby Funerals, presented education programs to health care providers, supported bereaved parents and hosted seminars on normal grief. As a co-founder of PBSO, Anne brought to the organization extensive experience and tremendous insight into the needs of bereaved parents. Anne was PBSO’s first Executive Director, and now is an active Volunteer.

Jan Pearce - R.N., B.Sc.N., RTS Coordinator
Jan’s passion to help others is the driving force behind PBSO. She is one of the founders of the organization and currently the Executive Director. She has the huge task of overseeing all PBSO operations on a day-to-day basis.

Prior to joining PBSO, Jan was a Genetics Counsellor at York Central Hospital in Richmond Hill, Ontario. There she worked closely with families who had concerns about possible inherited conditions. Prior to this, she held a similar position at North York General Hospital in Toronto, Ontario. Jan was a member of the executive of the Canadian Association of Genetics Counsellors, a group committed to creating a standardized exam to certify genetics counsellors across Canada.

Jan also taught prenatal classes for 12 years. After experiencing a stillbirth and understanding the unique concerns that parents have after losing a child, she later designed and taught subsequent pregnancy classes for parents who have experienced previous pregnancy loss. She has put her personal experiences and knowledge to use in almost every aspect of PBSO including being co-author of two informative booklets used by PBSO, entitled "A Baby Dies" and "Miscarriage".

Ingrid Fazio - founding PBSO member
Ingrid , a bereaved parent, provided the "business sense" in the early development of PBSO. Coming from a business background, Ingrid actively managed the original set up of the Corporation, the formal registration of PBSO as a charity, and was a member of the first PBSO Board of Directors.

Following the death of her daughter, Ingrid attended a support group at Scarborough Grace Hospital in Toronto. The group was facilitated by Anne Smith, and was also attended by Ute Nunes. It was through this support group experience, that three of the four original founding members met.

Ute Nunes - founding PBSO member
Ute, a bereaved parent and school teacher, was instrumental in spearheading the creation of two PBSO information booklets called "A Baby Dies" and "Miscarriage". She also designed and coordinated the production of "Caregiver Guide", a booklet for professionals who need on-the-spot guidance when a baby dies.

After the death of her daughter Anna, Ute attended a support group lead by Anne Smith at Scarborough Grace Hospital in Toronto. Ute later took over from Anne as the coordinator of the hospital’s Perinatal Bereavement Program. Ute was a member of the first volunteer PBSO Board of Directors, facilitated the first PBSO Support Group at Central Park Lodge in Toronto and became the first staff member of PBSO. In this staff position she originally managed the early development of PBSO from her basement office and then later in a borrowed one-room office space in Markham.