Life Touches Life: A Mother's Story of Stillbirth and Healing

I, too, have lost a child--a beautiful son named Ryan who was stillborn at 28 weeks--and this book puts so much of the pain & sorrow that my family & I experienced into words. This book should be read not only by those who've experienced the loss of a child themselves, but by those in the medical field--OBGYNs, neonatal nurses, labor and delivery medical staff--as it may help to educate them in dealing with bereaved parents in a sensitive manner. This account of stillbirth is so personal, so vividly described, that Lorraine Ash could be considered The Voice for bereaved mothers who have so long struggled to put our loss into words & to try to make others (who are often insensitive or not understanding of the pain we endure) understand. I am so sorry for anyone that loses a child to stillbirth, and I feel lucky to have found Ash's book. She was so brave--a loving and devoted mother of an Angel--to share her pain with us in this moving tribute to Victoria.

This book was recommended to me by my grief counselor. I was a bit skeptical at first, as the author had a stillborn child, while I lost a 2 year old to Pediatric Cancer. However, it turned out to be one of the most helpful books I read. Lorraine Ash helped me heal, even just a little bit, and I am grateful to her. Reading a book actually written by a bereaved mom was infinitely more helpful than all of the books I read written by therapists who have not experienced the same kind of loss I have. I have copied quite a few exerps from her book, and read them from time to time when I need a lift. I believe I may actually get to meet the author, when she is in NY for a Walk to Remember children who have lost their lives. I hope so! I am truly sorry for all of you bereaved parents who are searching for a book to soothe their soul. I hope you find this book as comforting as I did.

"The only way to live my life is to love this fate because it is mine, because it was entrusted to me."I have committed Lorraine Ash's words to memory because this one line applies to all of us, whether we have lost children or not. Each of us is faced with some hardship in this life that makes us question how and whether to go on. Each of us needs to find the grace in being who we are and embracing destiny the way Ash has.Lorraine's book is a testament to the strength present when one seeks to find the greater good from a terrible blow. She shows us what it is like to suffer profound loss and feel that loss deeply, all while navigating the way toward healing and moving forward.We can all learn from Lorraine no matter what hand we ourselves are dealt -- making this a book for everyone, no matter what path you may walk.

This is such a beautiful book. God willing, it will help many heal. I read it with a box of tissues nearby. I found it so touching, so poignant. The reader is taken along to hell and back. The resources in the back are an important source of help to everyone who needs a starting place in their own healing. I admire Lorraine's honesty. It is all the more powerful because she didn't make it nice or pretty or idealistic. This is more than just a memoir about the tragic loss of her daughter at birth. It is a story about grief, how to grieve, the different forms grief takes for men and for women. It is a book about the different reactions people have to loss. It is a book about coming to terms with the incomprehensible things that happen to us in the blink of an eye. It is a book about living richly and fully because of tragedy--and becoming better from it. Above all, it is a book of hope and renewal. I do not have children and I have never been pregnant. But I have experienced loss. I will recommend this book to many others who will benefit from its wisdom.

I was fortunate enough to attend a reading by Ms. Ash this afternoon. I brought her book home and read it in a few hours.There was not a feeling expressed in her book that I as a stillbirth mother did not either feel myself or completely understand. Ms. Ash makes stillbirth parents feel so less alone with her words. Lorraine has a gift, and through her total embrace of the life of her daughter Victoria, she has the power to help so many women and men facing the same tragic reality that she and her husband faced 5 years ago. She reaffirmed my belief that our stillborn children's lives are a thing of beauty and that they have the power to do great things through us their parents, even though they are no longer physically present.Thank you, Lorraine.