A woman in Wisconsin is showing her support for grieving families by transforming donated wedding dresses into burial garments for infants.
Rock County-based Rosann Cassiopi opened up about her decade of crafting the garments, also known as angel gowns, during a recent interview with Spectrum News 1. She spends 40 hours a week working as a volunteer seamstress for the non-profit organization Real Imprints. The company runs The Angel Gowns Project, which makes the garments for children who died due to a miscarriage or stillbirth, or shortly after birth.
Cassiopi retired early after being diagnosed with spastic paraparesis — a rare neurological condition that causes muscle stiffness in the lower limbs, according to the Cleveland Clinic — leaving her with free time.
Despite knowing the condition “was going to eventually put me in a wheelchair,” the former registered nurse said her hands were unaffected.
“It’s a nice way to do something for somebody,” she added about making the garments.
Once Cassiopi is done making the gowns, she donates them to different families across the U.S.
“They go all over, whoever needs them, whatever hospital needs them, we send them out free of charge,” she said.
Cassiopi said that she hopes her creations will help people who are grieving. “Gives them a little bit of, ‘Oh, I’m not alone in this journey,’ because it used to be so hush-hush. If you had a miscarriage, you know, or stillbirth. And it’s not; it’s something that needs to be talked about,” she said.
“Because the pain of losing a child, whether the child wasn’t delivered on your due date or died at 21-years-old, that pain is still the same.”
Her grandchildren have praised her hard work, with fifth grader Logan Barr telling Spectrum News 1: “Kind of like, proud that she’s doing it for families that need might need it.”
Founded in 2015, the Angel Gowns Project accepts wedding dress donations across the U.S. and Guatemala, which is where the initiative’s founder, Lindsey Thomason, is based.
“It’s tender to think that in this moment of such pain and grief, angel mamas and families, receive an angel gown, a gift and symbol of love, hope, and healing, made from other women dealing with their own internal poverty and difficult circumstances, or who have healed from trauma and internal poverty, or who are fighting to break the cycle and get themselves, and their families out of extreme poverty,” the program’s site reads.
The Sands national helpline provides support for anyone affected by the death of a baby. You can call 0808 164 3332 free of charge, or email [email protected].
