When we lost my daughter, [my son] would have loved to have something to hold onto, because he just would cry himself to sleep after she passed. It will be nice to have something to help other families.
Jen Clayman, mother of Emberly Rose Clayman and founder of Emberly's EmbraceJust in time for Thanksgiving, a Monadnock Region family showed their gratitude to Dartmouth Health’s Cheshire Medical Center with a generous donation. Jen and Dan Clayman, of Rindge, presented the hospital with a check for $6,000 on Tuesday, November 25, in memory of their daughter, Emberly Rose Clayman.
In 2023, Emberly was stillborn at 39 weeks gestational age, at another New Hampshire hospital. Jen Clayman, who also has an older son, Jax, would then go on to have another baby boy, Anthony, delivered at Cheshire. Moved by the sensitivity and compassion shown by Cheshire staff, the Claymans hosted a charity concert over the summer to raise money for Cheshire, through their organization Emberly’s Embrace.
The Claymans’ donation will be used in multiple ways to help families bringing home new babies from Cheshire or who are grieving pregnancy loss, stillbirth and infant death. Resources will include:
• Bereavement training for Cheshire nurses to help grieving families
• Patient education resources for patients, immediate and extended family members
• Educational books on child loss
• Custom stuffed animals designed to be the same weight as the child who has passed
• Seed packets for patients to plant in a dedicated garden inhonor of deceased children
• Newborn car seats for families who cannot afford them
“When we lost my daughter, Jax would have loved to have something to hold onto, because he just would cry himself to sleep after she passed,” Jen said. “It will be nice to have something to help other families.”
“A few of our nurses are really interested in doing additional education and training to be that go-to person for families needing moral support,” said Jennifer E. Osborne, BSN, RNC, clinical nurse educator/perinatal safety nurse in Cheshire’s Women and Children’s Health Unit. “A lot of the money raised by Emberly’s Embrace will go toward that.”
The Claymans plan to continue fundraising for hospital maternity wards to provide support for grieving families. To donate, checks made payable to Emberly’s Embrace may be mailed to Jen Clayman at 77 Woodbound Road, Rindge, NH 03461. To learn more, visit the Emberly's Embrace Facebook page or email emberlysembrace@gmail.com.
About Cheshire Medical Center
Cheshire Medical Center (Cheshire) advances the health and wellness of individuals across New Hampshire’s Monadnock Region through outstanding care and exceptional service. Cheshire teams deliver an impressive range of clinical services that support the community's needs. As a member of Dartmouth Health, Cheshire is able to provide services far exceeding those of a typical rural hospital, including extensive programs in primary care, cancer care, cardiology, orthopaedics, and public health. Cheshire patients are also able to access hundreds of highly trained specialists and a depth of clinical and technical resources through its collaboration with Dartmouth Health. Cheshire’s clinical practice is distinguished by an exceptional staff, a strong commitment to safety and quality, and a culture that values the contribution of every staff member and volunteer. Cheshire is the area's largest healthcare provider and leading employer. Along with the services delivered on their Keene campus and satellite locations, the Medical Center partners with local organizations to provide vital services and programs throughout the region. To learn more, call 603-354-5400 or visit cheshiremed.org.
About Dartmouth Health
Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire’s only academic health system and largest private employer, serves patients across New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,300 providers in nearly every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH. Its network of hospitals, outpatient centers, clinics and home care facilities, spans a broad geographical area. Year after year, DHMC is named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and is consistently recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, northern New England’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers and one of less than than 60 total nationally; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes the state’s only children’s hospital (Children’s Hospital at DHMC/CHaD) and more than 20 locations around the region; eight member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene, Claremont, Hampstead, and New London, NH, and Windsor and Bennington, VT; Dartmouth Health Home Care; Dartmouth Health Connected Care Center for Telehealth, serving patients as far away as Texas; and more than 30 primary and multi-specialty clinics across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its partnership with Dartmouth College, Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine and the White River Junction VA Medical Center, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials with international impact. Dartmouth Health and its more than 16,000 employees are committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in the communities it serves and to providing every patient with exceptional, state-of-the-art, personalized care. Learn more at dartmouth-health.org.