Liz and Paul Cohen here :)

In honor of the loss of our four babies, Izzy, River, Finn & Grace Cohen, we're raising funds in support of two organizations that shepherd families through the challenges of grief: Three Little Birds Perinatal and Virtua Health.

Thank you for reading this far, for supporting us and other families moving through loss, and - if you feel so inclined - for joining us on August 16 at 5-6:30 on the Ocean City 1st Street Beach for our Community Grief Circle! Whatever way you feel called to participate/support, we appreciate you. :)

With love,

Liz and Paul

Our Story

After the loss of our four babies to miscarriage in 2017-2020, we felt lost at sea in our grief. We were struggling to know how to grieve in a culture that struggles to allow hardship to come into the conversation without needing to fix it, deny it, or make it go away. Especially in the face of a loss that often goes unrecognized in society (some call this "disenfranchised" or "ambiguous" loss), we were quite frankly... stuck.

Three Little Birds Perinatal helped us when we were at our lowest. They broke all of those cultural "rules" around what deserves to be grieved, how long grief should take, and what healthy grief looks like... and met us where we were. They gave us community, validation, love, humor, and permission to grieve in the way that felt right to us. We went from stuckness... to wholeness... to allowing ourselves to feel our sadness and anguish and anger -- and eventually, joy, connection, and hope too. It's a gift that changed our lives and one we aspire to pay forward.

Virtua Health, in partnership with Paul’s work at Island Therapy, is fundraising to provide resources and support for loss families. Their goal this year is to fundraise for the purchase of a Caring Cradle for loss families at Lourdes Hospital.

If you would prefer your donation go to Three Little Birds or Virtua specifically, let us know! Both organizations are 501(c)(3) organizations, and donation receipts will be provided if you let us know you need one.

Paying It Forward

In 2023, we both went back to school to pursue our Master's in Social Work degrees, in hopes of becoming counselors who could support others as they walk their journeys from stuckness, grief, or hardship, to wholeness.

To culminate the end of our fundraiser, we'll be hosting a Community Grief Circle On The Beach, where all are welcome to come honor their respective losses among community and the healing backdrop of mother nature. Join us, Saturday August 16th, 5-6:30p on the 1st Street Beach in Ocean City, NJ!

Wondering if the Community Grief Circle is Right For You?

All are welcome at this event! Perhaps you're grieving the loss of a loved one, a pet, a relationship, an aspect of your identity, or your community. No matter what loss you bring to the group, we will support each other as fellow travelers on our individual and collective grief journeys. Movement, mindfulness, and engagement with nature will be part of this experience, as will shared storytelling (if you wish!). This event will also be trauma-informed, meaning you get to participate in whatever way feels right and safe for you. Whether you want to speak, listen, or just jump in the ocean... You get to choose!

RSVP: forms.gle/nxseii6PNyYf9PsQ9

Logistics:

Parking: Free parking is available on the Ocean City streets.

Location: Meet on the beach in front of the 1st Street Lifeguard Station (bathrooms are available there as well).

What to Bring: A towel or chair to sit on, water bottle, and bathing suit (in case you want to jump int he ocean at the end!).

*Rain date: Sunday 8/17 @ 5pm