UAMS, Roller Funeral Homes Dedicate Memorial to Pregnancy and Infant Loss
Renata Jenkins Byler, owner of Roller Funeral Homes, who helped fund the Love Lives Memorial, spoke at the dedication.
| May 2, 2018 | In memory of pregnancy and infant loss, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Love Lives Program and Roller Funeral Homes today dedicated the Love Lives Memorial at Riverwood Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Maumelle.
Love Lives, the UAMS perinatal bereavement program, worked with Roller Funeral Homes to establish the memorial garden as a final resting place for some. For others, it may be a consecrated place of quiet reflection where families and loved ones may come to feel close to their precious little ones whom they will always remember.
Neonatologist Sara Peeples, M.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the UAMS College of Medicine, said establishing the memorial garden recognizes that these losses have a profound and lasting impact on families.
Parents can visit the Love Lives Memorial for a time of reflection on the little ones they lost.
“We would like to thank Roller and all of our community partners for supporting these families affected by perinatal loss,” said Peeples. “It is our hope that this becomes a place of comfort and healing for those who have been touched by unspeakable and immeasurable loss. Together we can inspire hope as we bring awareness to the issues surrounding perinatal loss and the need for ongoing community support.”
Renata Jenkins Byler, third-generation owner of Roller Funeral Homes, said the memorial is a gift to the families served by Roller Funeral Homes and UAMS.
“It has always been our calling to serve families ‘With All Our Respect’ during one of the saddest days of their lives,” said Byler. “Our wonderful friends at UAMS often serve these very same families. That is why this partnership is so special. Two separate ‘work families’ coming together with the same heart to give back. We hope that this memorial will serve as a place of peace and remembrance for our most precious little ones and their families.”
The bereavement program provides personalized care through family-centered support for those who have experienced pregnancy or infant loss. It provides the families with everlasting keepsakes as a remembrance of their baby, as well as education and ongoing support to help each family member as they journey through the grieving process.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,275 students, 890 medical residents and fellows, and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###