Just 22 days after welcoming her beautiful daughter Finley Elizabeth into this world, Noelle Moore-Fernandez had to do the unimaginable. She was left to say goodbye to her only child when there was nothing left to do to save her precious life. As she walked down the NICU hallway and departed the hospital where Finley remained, she can remember thinking, "How can I leave her here? Who's going to take care of her?" but soon realized those questions would not be answered. There was no follow up. There were no offers of support, and the path to healing was unclear. During a time of despair and a desperate need for help, Noelle quickly realized the gap that exists between the hospital and the home. As she navigated her grief journey, Noelle was prompted to act on a calling God had placed within her, and she needed to do something about it.
The Finley Project exists to close the gap between the hospital and the home after a mother loses an infant. It provides a lifeline for mothers in the minutes, hours and days after infant loss through a 7-Part Holistic Program.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines Infant Mortality as “the death of an infant before his or her first birthday." The infant mortality rate (IMR) is the number of infant deaths per every 1,000 live births. The IMR not only provides key information about maternal and infant health, it also serves as an important indicator of the health of a population. Infant mortality is a reality many families experience, and the Infant Mortality Rate has generated concern among researchers and policy makers alike. According to the CDC, in 2018, the infant mortality rate was 5.7 deaths per 1,000 live births. That means, over 21,000 infants born in the United States in 2018 did not live to celebrate their first birthday.
Percent Distribution of Fetal Deaths at 20 Weeks of Gestation or More, and Infant Deaths
Each infant represented above has left a loving mother here to grieve. Some have endured the pain of losing one infant. Some have endured the pain of losing multiple.
She hurts physically, emotionally and spiritually, and she needs our help.
"20% of mothers who have experienced stillbirth experience a prolonged episode of depression and 1 in 5 mothers suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder" (Douglas)
"Thoughts of suicide are not unusual in the aftermath of stillbirth. 30% of mothers report having had such feelings." (Douglas)
"Commonly, grief turns into physical pain, which is why it is very important to take measures to relieve grief and lighten the pain and suffering." (O'Malley)
"Perinatal losses have also been shown to have a substantial psychological impact on parents and families, and are associated with post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, and sleeping disorders." (Kersting and Wagner)
The Finley Project addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of a mother through a Holistic Healing perspective.
The Finley Project®
7-Part Holistic Healing Program
01.
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FUNERAL aRRANGEMENTS
Picking up the phone and making a call to plan her child’s funeral is a task most grieving mothers cannot fathom. The Finley Project® can provide AID for a mother who needs help making that phone call and organizing funeral arrangements.
02.
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gROCERY gIFT cARDS
Hot meals, a stocked refrigerator, food to feed a grieving mother and her family without having to do much is what a mother needs after infant loss. The Finley Project® can help provide NOURISHMENT to a mother and her family while she focuses on healing.
03.
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hOUSE cLEANING
While a mother grieves, it's all too common for the laundry to pile up, the dishes to remain dirty and the dust to build up around her home. The Finley Project® can provide house cleaning services to CLEANSE her home from the external chaos while she focuses on making sense of the internal one.
04.
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mASSAGE tHERAPY
While she grieves, a mother is likely to experience anxiety, sleepless nights, elevated blood pressure, lower levels of endorphins and happiness hormones, and a higher risk for infection. The Finley Project® can provide RESTORATION by coordinating massage therapy sessions during the healing process.
05.
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sUPPORT gROUP pLACEMENT
Talking about losing a child can be difficult for a grieving mom. She needs other mothers who understand her pain and her unique journey in grief. The Finley Project® can help a mom find FELLOWSHIP through support groups in her area.
06.
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oNE-ON-oNE cOUNSELING
Overcome with grief, mothers experience severe emotional trauma where even simple day-to-day tasks can be stressful and overwhelming. Some mothers even lose the will to live. The Finley Project® can place mothers with a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) who can provide COUNSEL while she grieves.
07.
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sUPPORT cOORDINATOR
The grief journey can feel like a long and lonely road for a mother who has lost her baby, but it doesn't have to. The Finley Project® can provide SUPPORT from the moment a mother joins the program through a Volunteer Support Coordinator that will help her through the holistic program daily, monthly and yearly, for up to five years.
The Finley Project is on a mission to serve 1,500+ grieving mothers from a holistic perspective by 2034 with your support.
Here is how we are helping mothers heal after their loss since 2014.
Program Reach
NATIONWIDE
Gift Cards for Food
$93,000
House Cleaning Service Hours
1,000+
Massage Therapy Hours
1,000+
Counseling Service Hours
5,000
Support Coordinator Hours Donated
20,000+
Support Money Raised
$1.1 Million+
$8,040 Grant
A Private Foundation donated $8,040 to fund Licensed Mental Health Counseling for 10 mothers to provide them with the tools and support needed to encourage each mother to continue living her life after loss.
$14,000 Grant
Changing the World Charitably donated over $14,000 to fund Professional House Cleaning and Licensed Mental Health Counseling for 14 mothers to cleanse their homes of the external chaos and provide counseling while they grieved.
CHELSEA JOHNSON
Meet Chelsea Johnson, a mother in The Finley Project® program as she shares how the organization helped her family through the horrific loss of one of her twins, Christopher.
JENNA DAIL
Meet Jenna Dail, a mother of The Finley Project® since 2014, and learn how TFP helped her through her grief journey.
The Finley Project’s® 7-Part Holistic Healing Program Goals for Enrolled Moms
2014 - 2024
Since the onset of The Finley Project’s® mission to serve moms of infant loss, it has been a goal to serve more mothers year after year. By 2024, The Finley Project® hopes to serve 520 moms or more which will only be made possible with your help and support.
Ready to join the mission?
Volunteer
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Donate
