By Jody Kerzman

Patricia and Joe Camisa

One in four women will experience a miscarriage or stillbirth.

That’s a statistic Patricia Camisa knows all too well.

“I am the one,” says Patricia.

On February 17, 2016, Patricia lost her baby. She was 19 weeks, five days into her pregnancy.

“My water broke when I was at work,” she remembers. “My boss drove me to the hospital, but it was already too late. I had to deliver my baby who was already gone. That was horrific. I had to deliver a baby that I knew would never cry, that I could never take home.”

Patricia and her husband had a funeral for their baby, Thomas David. And then, she says, the healing began. Patricia has been talking about her loss, healing a little each time she tells her story. And while talking is good therapy, she also hopes her story can raise awareness and help other moms who are also dealing with infant loss.

“I talk about it because so many women don’t,” Patricia explains. “People have reached out to me, and I’ve been able to help them. But there’s still such a stigma about it. I want to change that. Why is it ok to say ‘my grandma died’ but it’s not ok to say ‘my baby died?’”

Patricia recently gathered several families who have lost babies for a photo shoot. Her goal was to give grieving families healing, and to bring them together to help each other.

“I want them to know they’re not alone, and that there is hope.”