Showing care during a time of loss

Erin Frost is so grateful for the few hours she had to hold her sweet Caroline Rosie after giving birth at 34 weeks in December 2017. The Frosts had been trying to start a family for eight years. So when they learned at 21 weeks that their baby had Trisomy 18, also called Edward’s syndrome, and that life expectancy was short, they decided to love her in the moment.

“Caroline was very much wanted and prayed for,” says Erin, a Thrivent client from Greenville, North Carolina. “I am so thankful for the time I had with her, and that we got to meet each other.”

Several months after Caroline’s death, Erin was encouraged to receive a care package from Thrivent. It contained a soft adult-sized blanket, a devotional titled Grieving the Child I Never Knew by Kathe Wunnenberg, and a sympathy card on behalf of Thrivent and our membership. She also received a grant, a benefit for eligible clients with membership.

“Receiving that package, I felt like you all believed in me, that you believed in her,” Erin says. “This gift from Thrivent was truly life changing. It made me feel seen, and I didn’t feel so alone.”

That’s the intent behind the special care package for grieving parents.

“Thrivent is an organization that is committed to being there for our membership and their families in the moments that matter,” says Tricia Brown, director of Member Attraction and Activation at Thrivent. “That’s not just the good times, but also the most difficult, the moments when people really can feel lonely. ”The care package was redesigned in 2018 to include items that acknowledge the loss, provide warm support and demonstrate care during a difficult time. “In the redesign process, we listened to clients who shared what would have been helpful for them,” Brown says.

The devotional, selected from several reviewed, was written by a Thrivent client who had received the Thrivent grant years earlier. The grant can be used as the family desires, whether for medical expenses, a memorial or simply something for themselves, Brown says.

The Frost family was grateful when Sammy was born two-and-a-half years ago, just five days after what would have been his sister’s second birthday.

“Caroline was just absolutely perfect,” Erin says. “I wouldn’t change a thing about our story except to have more time with her.”

Thrivent has resources to help people begin the healing process, including the special Care Package for Grieving Parents. Clients with membership may order one of each of the grief resources every calendar year to keep or to share with others. Additionally, eligible clients coping with the loss of a newborn or stillborn child may apply for a grant to help with expenses or caring for themselves.