The “Don’t forget me” association has set itself the task of taking a last souvenir photo of their deceased baby, the star child, for the parents. The club is now celebrating its two-year anniversary.
Lustenau “In 2020, some midwives from the Feldkirch State Hospital actively approached us and asked if we would also photograph deceased babies on a voluntary basis. Until then, the midwives did this for the parents,” said photographer and deputy chairwoman of the “Forget Me Not” association, Carola Eugster. The idea of having affected parents take souvenir photos of their child was born. A year later, the “Forget Me Not” association was founded by professional photographers from Vorarlberg. 19 of them volunteer to take pictures of the children of the stars all over the country from the twelfth week of pregnancy and thus give the parents valuable memories. The association is now celebrating its two-year existence and has now presented its work in a place steeped in history, the former maternity home in Lustenau.
“Last year, at the request of the affected parents, our photographers photographed 34 star children across Vorarlberg and thus created valuable memories,” explained chairman Andreas Uher at the press conference scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. For 34 mothers, fathers, siblings and grandparents there is now a first and last photo of their child who died too young. “Through the photos, the bereaved can process the grief and deal with this traumatic experience,” says Uher. Thanks to the close cooperation with the midwives, the photographers are informed quickly to take a picture.
Educate and talk about it
“A birth with a good outcome cannot be taken for granted. Unfortunately,” says Daniela Schäfer from Raggal. Together with Bianca and Patrizia Luger (both from Stallehr) she founded the self-help group “Star Mommies”. They have been caring for the parents of star children for three years now and talk to them a lot about the loss. “The families need to know that they are not alone. There are many who are affected,” says Bianca Luger. Just like the photographers from the “Forget Me Not” association, they are concerned with giving the children a permanent place in their respective families and breaking the silence about the children who have died.
At the press conference on Tuesday afternoon, in addition to Mayor Kurt Fischer, former primary Dr. Hans Concin and Angelika Concin came. “I congratulate you on what you have accomplished. You make a valuable contribution to the people,” says Fischer. The artists Andreas Wassner and Andreas Marosch (“The little prince is growing up”) also appeared for the association’s anniversary. You have allowed the association to use the image of the “Little Prince”. In the course of the anniversary, the new work of art “Star Children” was presented by the Hohenems-based artist Jackie Monteiro. “A first step in the parents’ grief work was taken in Vorarlberg. Now it is about being able to offer this offer to all parents in Austria. So that they too have the opportunity to take a first and last photo of their star child,” says Uher. bv
