In memory of Christian Love Jones
Christian’s Love is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals and families during one of life’s most challenging experiences – miscarriage and pregnancy loss. The founder of this organization, Brianna Jones, felt called to help other families experiencing pregnancy loss ever since she lost one of her own nearly three years ago.
Brianna and her husband, Mitch, were pleasantly surprised when they learned they were expecting…for the third time. Tristin was five years old and Damon was two when they found out the exciting news. Tristin even called his baby sibling “Love” as they eagerly awaited his/her arrival. Everything was going well until baby’s 16-week appointment. It was then that Brianna and Mitch received the devastating news that their baby no longer had a heartbeat. This was also when they discovered that their third child was another boy. They were crushed and confused. After hours of heartbreaking discussion and prayer, they made the difficult decision to deliver their sweet baby for the opportunity to hold him, pray over him, and say goodbye.
Labor and delivery were incredibly painful for Brianna – both physically and emotionally. She explained, “I went through the full labor experience. After nearly 15 hours of labor, I drifted off to sleep—and it was then that I delivered him.” Their precious boy was born on July 30, 2022, at 12:12 AM. At almost 17 weeks old, he weighed 4.9 oz and was 18 cm long. Mitch and Brianna held their beloved son, sang “You Are My Sunshine” to him through their tears, and eventually said their final goodbyes.
Brianna said, “We named him Christian to be a constant reminder that God is our Savior. He loves us, walks with us through both the joy and the sorrow, hurts with us, and never lets any part of our story go to waste. He always has a plan—even when we don’t understand it.” Now, Brianna wants to help others who are experiencing the same unimaginable loss.
Almost immediately after Christian’s birth, the couple was asked to make difficult decisions they never thought they would have to make: Did they want the child cremated or buried? If buried, where? If cremated, which urn would they prefer? The questions seemed never ending, and they were overwhelmed with decisions that had to be made. This is why Christian’s Love: A Pregnancy Loss Support Foundation exists – to provide all the local resources families will need to make these types of difficult decisions without guilt or pressure.
While trying to respond to countless difficult decisions, Brianna was still recovering from childbirth. Fortunately, she received items that supported her physical recovery and eliminated the milk supply she no longer needed. Brianna and Mitch are grateful for the precious items they received that honored Christian: handmade remembrance items, mementos, a bear weighted to Christian’s birth weight, and more. It is these types of items, in addition to ones they feel would have been beneficial, that Brianna’s nonprofit seeks to provide hurting mothers and families who have experienced pregnancy loss.
As a stay-at-home mom, starting a nonprofit was far from easy. It consisted of making phone calls, filling out legal documents, developing a website, planning and attending fundraising events, and so much more…whatever could be accomplished between nap times or once the kids were in bed. It was a daunting task, but with her husband’s support and willing friends to help, she took on the long and difficult process of creating a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Now, her son’s name will be honored and spoken of with hope and love, not grief.
Now that Christian’s Love is officially a nonprofit organization, Brianna is excited to share their mission statement and help those in need: “At Christian’s Love: A Pregnancy Loss Support Foundation, our mission is to create a safe space for grieving families by offering physical tokens of care and practical, local resources through our miscarriage boxes. Each box is designed to provide comfort, validate emotions, and connect recipients to helpful support networks and resources. Every life matters – no matter how brief – and should be honored and spoken of.” This is the message Brianna wants for her nonprofit.
Brianna intends for Christian’s Love to start locally, right here at Sidney Regional Medical Center. These boxes will be FREE since every item is donated or grant funded, and they include personalized items like a custom-weighed teddy bear, crochet cradles, grief books/journals, and resource cards with information, including “What to Expect,” “Next Steps,” “Community/Grief Support,” “For Loved Ones,” “How to Explain Loss to Siblings,” and more. Brianna hopes they will provide comfort, relief, and hope to patients in need. Also, these miscarriage boxes will soon be available to order online!
We are incredibly grateful for Brianna’s courage and willingness to establish a nonprofit organization to help our patients – and many others – who need pregnancy loss support. Thank you so much for your caring heart and dedication to comforting and walking alongside those grieving pregnancy loss in our community.
For more information, email Brianna Jones at [email protected] or visit her Facebook page to help support this amazing organization: Christian’s Love: A Pregnancy Loss Support Foundation!
