Xander
I want to introduce you to Xander, by brother’s son who tragically died about 36 hours after he was born.
This is my own personal experience with child mortality, seeing how my brother and his wife were affected by this bitter and cruel event.
If this is what it feels like when the chances of it happening are so remote, what must it be like when there is a 5:1 change of it happening in communities where young children are not named until their first birthday?
I will take this photograph with me when I leave Sydney. The child mortality I seek to influence is coincident with extreme poverty. This photo, where my brother and I together make a bridge each connected to his young boy gives me some context so that this is not just another string of statistics.
I am sure many people reading this will have their own stories and experiences. Please take time to ensure you address this issue. Please join with me over the coming month to make these experiences have meaning.
Building Bridges 
November 1, 2010 at 9:52 am
Such a sad post on a day I got up early to make miniature muffins in pink patty cases for a morning tea to celebrate a colleague’s new baby daughter – coincidentally another expectant dad is jumping at every phone call, to be ready to take his wife to hospital and yet another colleague (and it’s a small office) has just announced her first pregnancy. Life is always in high contrast, it’s just that we don’t always notice it is.
November 1, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Thanks Fay- actually it happened about 9 years ago, which shows the ongoing impact…
Celebrate life! That is wonderful news you have!
November 2, 2010 at 9:20 am
Time makes little difference. Also yesterday I had facebook comments from a former colleague (journalist) who was back from the retrieval of a young teenager’s body – he’s seen a few too many bodies lately and he wasn’t coping well. He’s not doing well today but can’t get time off – the backstory is that he lost his first child shortly after birth due to a hospital error – that child would also be a young teenager had she lived.
November 2, 2010 at 11:25 am
How tragic. What I have experienced since writing the post was how many stories are woven through each of our lives. Simple stories sometimes of loss. How we can support each other through empathy and listening is often overlooked, but so important. I hope your friend finds some time for restoration and healing.