The Rainbow Project
Somewhere over the Rainbow
As an artist and story teller, I am starting work on a project that hits home with me and my family. I want to tell my story as a man and father. I want to shed a light on something that is rarely talked about and something that woman, couples, and families struggle with. That is a miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death, or infant loss and the dark cloud that hangs and the tears that are shed. But, as with all storms, the clouds will start to roll out and the sun will shine its warm glow as we get a rainbow.
The Rainbow Baby!
A rainbow baby is what our community calls a child after a loss. It is a child that comes from love, tears, and heart ache to bring joy and happiness and a rainbow into one’s life.
So why am I tackling a project based off this topic? My wife and I struggled through fertility issues for a few years and in the summer of 2009 we got wonderful news! She was pregnant! We were ecstatic and told the news to our parents and very close friends. It was exciting until we saw our doctor who gave us not so wonderful news that our baby was an ectopic pregnancy and that we will lose our baby and soon.
I cannot remember all the things that were said from the doctor except I was to be a dad but will never see my child, watch them grow, or hold them ever! Nature ran it course. Watching my wife struggle and get poked and prodded like a science experiment just shook me to the core. I could do nothing but watch like a spectator and be strong for her even though I was a mess myself.
So we sat in the storm for many months. We struggled quietly with no help besides the love we had for each other and even that was tested at some points. But in the darkness of January, magic happened and the clouds parted and we were to have a child and all signs looked good.
I know through quiet messages, Facebook posts, and signs of support over the years, we are not alone and we all struggle even after our rainbow baby. But I want to make it known to people in the community that are in the storm they are not alone!
I want to tell your story, shed tears, and share hope that all is not lost! We can have a rainbow baby through birth or adoption.
So what is next! I am looking for families who have a rainbow baby or have their rainbow baby on the way and want to share your story and words of hope for anyone who is struggling. I want my story and 6 other families to make up the 7 colors in the rainbow. I know I may get a lot of emails, and if so, I will do it again next year.
This will be a mix media project, images, video, and text so please be open to being interviewed, having a themed photo session(s), and pulling open the Band-Aid on your heart for a little.
Want to be part of the project? Please follow the link to the sign up form.
Sign up
by 4/21/17