Valley Hosts 'A Celebration of Life' for Families Who Lost a Child March 21

Valley Home Care and the Butterflies program will hold its first annual “Celebration of Life,” a program of remembrance and healing for families who have experienced the loss of a child, on Saturday, March 21.

The free “upbeat” program for parents who lost a child under the age of 25 will feature a band, a luncheon, parent participation and more.

The “Celebration of Life” was started when Clinical Social Worker Susan Esserman, LCSW realized Valley’s Pediatric Palliative Care and Hospice Program could do a better job of caring for parents after their children died, noting that parents can move on, but will never get over losing a child.

Now a Celebration of Life “aims to remember the children that we’ve lost, ... the happy times they spent together [with their parents], and carry their legacy forward,” Esserman said.

The program will be held on Saturday, March 21 at 11 a.m. in Room #3 on the first floor of Valley’s Dorothy B. Kraft Building, located at 15 Essex Road in Paramus. Children are welcome and babysitting will be available by experienced volunteers. Lunch will be served at the conclusion of the program.

For more information and to register for the event, call 201-291-6211 or e-mail jbushov@valleyhealth.com

“It’s really important to remember [the children] in a positive way,” Esserman said.