A Chatham woman has devoted her free time to sewing tiny gowns for stillborn babies.
Since September of 2015, Deb Walker has been making gowns out of donated wedding dresses for babies that don't survive because of complications.
Through her project called "Angel Gowns by Deb," she has donated countless gowns to hospitals in Chatham, Leamington, Windsor, Sarnia, London, and St. Thomas, as well as local funeral homes.
"One day I was on the internet and I saw Australia had a group that was [making] these little gowns," says Walker. "I had never heard of such a thing and I thought 'Oh wow, that's interesting' because I love bridal gowns and babies--who doesn't?"
Walker says she did some more research and couldn't find any local groups that make angel gowns. She says her heart was broken after reading that many parents with stillborn babies often have nothing to take them home in.
"Some parents had their babies given to them in those little kidney dishes and some had them wrapped up in wash clothes...it's really kind of tragic," she says.
That's when Walker decided something needed to be done.
"I couldn't imagine being a mother and not having something for your baby to put it in that's special," she says.
Walker says since then, the project has really taken off.
"It's been overwhelming the number of people that want to donate [their wedding dresses]. They want so badly to help the families and to see their gown go to good use," she says.
