Ochsner LSU Health to host third annual Wave of Light event recognizing pregnancy, infant and child loss

SHREVEPORT, La. – Ochsner LSU Health will host its third annual Wave of Light remembrance event in Shreveport on Wednesday, Oct. 15, which has been designated as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. This yearly international event is an opportunity to offer support for families who have lost a child through miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth or as an infant. The event will be held inside the lobby of OB/GYN Specialists at the south entrance to Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport - St. Mary Medical Center, located at One St. Mary Place in Shreveport. The program begins at 6 p.m., and a candlelight vigil will follow at 7 p.m. at the hospital’s outdoor fountains. The event is free and open to the public. 

In 1988, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed October as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. Each year, an estimated one million pregnancies in the United States end in miscarriage. In 2021, there were more than 21,000 stillbirths across the country. The awareness event provides families who are suffering with support and resources.   

The Wave of Light portion of the event occurs at 7 p.m. when families and others around the world light a candle to honor a child lost during pregnancy or as an infant. Because of the different time zones around the globe, a “wave of light” is created. Candles burn in each time zone for one hour. 

Wave of Light: Pregnancy, Infant and Child Loss Remembrance Day 

Wednesday, Oct. 15, 6 p.m. 

Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport - St. Mary Medical Center, South Entrance 

One St. Mary Place, Shreveport, LA 71101 

Please contact Bonnie Hughes at bonnie.hughes@ochsnerlsuhs.org with any questions. To learn more about services at Ochsner LSU Health, visit ochsnerlsuhs.org. 

### 

ABOUT OCHSNER LSU HEALTH  

The Ochsner LSU Health System of North Louisiana (Ochsner LSU Health) is a partnership between Ochsner Health, the largest health system in the state of Louisiana, and LSU Health Shreveport, which includes the Schools of Medicine, Allied Health Professions and Graduate Studies and a robust research enterprise. Ochsner LSU Health provides healthcare to more than 165,000 patients across North Louisiana. With numerous convenient locations, Ochsner LSU Health includes multiple outpatient facilities, clinics, three acute care hospitals — including North Louisiana’s only Level I Trauma Center and Level II Pediatric Trauma Center at its acute care hospital and a newly renovated hospital with women's and children's services in Shreveport, La. and an acute care hospital in Monroe, La designated as a Level III Trauma Center — as well as Louisiana Behavioral Health, providing inpatient and intensive outpatient mental health services in partnership with Oceans Healthcare. The system has more than 4,200 employees that work alongside the Ochsner LSU Health Physician Group of 950 physicians and residents in more than 65 specialties and subspecialties.