WICHITA, KS (KWCH-DT/CNN) - After meeting her daughter Bridget, who was stillborn at 24 weeks, Ashley Opliger, used the tragedy to help others while healing themselves in the process.
Opliger runs the non-profit Bridget's cradles, which makes and delivers the cradles to hundreds of hospitals across the country at no cost.
It was an idea Opliger’s mother, Teresa Golik originally created for Bridget, and she now helps her daughter run the charity.
"About a week before she was born, my mom really wanted to do something special for Bridget, because we did not get a very good prognosis."
Golik, said as a grandparent she shared in her daughter’s grief.
"Sometimes it's double grief for the grandparents, just because I had so much grief from losing my grandchild,” Golik said. “I just had such empathy for my daughter and her husband."
Grief turned into healing when Golik had the idea to knit a small cradle so that Bridget could be safely held and loved by her family.
Now, Golik's creation has become her daughter's life work.
"For us to be able to impact thousands of families across the country through the original cradle that my mom made for Bridget is really special and a legacy for her,” Opliger said. “And also really positive and healing for us to be able to do that."
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