In November 2010 I was devastated with the news that, at 20 weeks gestation, my baby's heart had stopped beating.  On the 4th November I delivered a beautiful baby girl.  Life as I had known it, had ended. 

I searched for something special to remember my daughter by.    Jewellery, a box, candles, statues, anything....  but sadly all I found was a necklace, that after a month lost it's silverness. 

After speaking to other SANDS mums, and mums online, I found that many other mothers who have lost their babies also felt the same... there was nothing in New Zealand to provide for their needs.  So myangel.co.nz was born.

I hope to help anyone grieving - parents, children, siblings, uncles, aunties - anyone who lost someone they loved dearly, where someone who has passed leaving a hole in their heart and lives.   I aim to provide quality products that are meaningful and special.  Finding these products helped me and my family remember our daughter and sister, and I hope you gain the same comfort as we did.

I wish for this website to make a difference to parents who have lost babies - so long as the website lives, so does Angela's memory and her little way of helping this world be a better place!

Press release: New website offers comfort for grieving parents
 
Denise Coy knows what it’s like to lose a baby, and she’s dedicated to helping other parents through grief.
 
“Death is a subject people hesitate to talk about. Even when we know the family of someone who has died, we feel awkward and uncomfortable. Infant death is a taboo subject altogether,” Denise explains. “In November 2010, I lost my baby daughter, Angela, who was stillborn at 20 weeks.”
 
On average each week, eight New Zealand families are faced with the trauma of losing their baby in a second- or third-trimester stillbirth, and one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage. “When you lose a baby, at any stage of pregnancy, you are left with very little. You have not lived with your child long enough to know their touch, smile, laugh... You are simply left with a memory of what should have been. And that is devastating.”
 
Following Angela’s birth, Denise met many parents who are still grieving months and even years after losing their babies to miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant death. “I couldn’t find anything to help me treasure my daughter, and I can’t stand by and let another parent go through what I experienced,” Denise says. “I want to help comfort those who are going through it.” 

The Tauranga-based mum is launching My Angel (www.myangel.co.nz) on 28 March 2011, baby Angela’s original due date. My Angel is a unique website dedicated to keepsakes for those who have lost a loved one. The focus is on infant loss, but anyone who is grieving can take comfort from the jewellery, gemstones, and keepsake boxes available. My Angel also includes articles and poetry about infant loss, providing an honest yet sensitive insight into this difficult topic in an effort to reach out to suffering parents and help their broken hearts to heal.
“I now have a beautiful heart with tiny footprints and Angela’s name engraved on it, and inside, some of her ashes. My sons each have their own piece of jewellery, with some of Angela’s ashes inside, and they keep them by their beds. At night I often hear them saying goodnight to their sister,” Denise says.
 
“I have often wondered, as many parents who have experienced infant loss do, why my daughter’s life was so short. Why was she not born happy and healthy like her brothers? Why could she not have made a difference in the world? But with the birth of My Angel, I have realised that Angela’s life was not in vain. In her own special way, by inspiring me to create My Angel, she will be helping grieving parents for many years to come.”

 
For all media enquiries, images, or to arrange an interview, please contact denise@myangel.co.nz or phone Denise Coy at 022 187 1077.