One of the most emotional moments in anyone’s life is to have to say goodbye to a loved one.
But the worst of all is having to say goodbye to your own child. I can imagine this can only feel as if one’s life was suddenly ending, too.
The very minimum that could help you with your mourning would be to assure that your child is being laid to rest somewhere beautiful forever…
This is what Selina had to experience. The baby she had carried and who she was looking forward to holding in her arms for the first time was born dead. As tragic as this may seem, she also did not have any money to pay for her baby’s tombstone.
Her world was shattered and she began to seek help to create a beautiful final resting place for the little boy she would never be able to take home with her.
But when she took her pain to a Facebook group for local moms, she did not expect the response she would receive from hundreds of moms around her.
The 35-year-old asked a local Facebook group named “Basler Mamis 2.0” if anyone might be able to build her a wooden tombstone as she wasn’t able to afford a “normal” one.
“Is anyone here a carpenter? I am still looking for a tombstone for my son,” she wrote on November 7.
What happened next exceeded her expectations by far — not only did carpenters speak up, but hundreds of sympathetic mothers reacted to Selina’s call for help.
The wave of solidarity resulted with two mothers starting to collect money for Selina to fulfil her wish. “If every member of the Facebook group donates just one Swiss Franc, enough money for a tombstone would be gathered,” one mother wrote, according to 20 Minuten.
Surprising solidarity
The outcome was overwhelming. More money than ever was expected came pouring in — and with the solidarity of the mothers soon came the solidarity of the fathers.
“Also the women’s husbands in our Facebook group are joining in,” group member Aline Steinacher told 20 Minuten.
Indeed, Selina’s approach and her call for help has turned the group into a network of solidarity.
“We are so proud of the cohesion and helpfulness of the entire Facebook community,” says Aline.
Surplus will be donated
“If there is any money left over, we will donate it to non-profit organisations,” Aline adds.
The donation campaign is still ongoing and the amount collected will soon be handed over to Selina. With this, she can have the sculptor make a tombstone according to her ideas for her deceased baby boy.
And as if the heart of the community was not big enough, perfect strangers from the Facebook group have also made arrangements for Selina’s stillborn baby’s actual gravestone: the husband of one of the mother’s from the group has agreed to make it.
Thanks to pure kindness and compassion, Selina will now be able to build an eternal memory and resting place for her baby.
We are so happy that Selina’s wish to grant her baby boy a beautiful eternal resting place was fulfilled — with the help of a community of strangers who stood up to help each other.
Please share this article with your friends on Facebook to honour the men and women of this group who showed so much love and solidarity.
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