More than 1,200 runners and walkers gathered at Virtua Voorhees Hospital on June 8 for the 11th annual Run with the Docs, a moving event that supports families grieving the loss of a baby.
What began in 2015 as a simple idea for a 5K has become a tradition that blends fitness, remembrance and healing and has since touched thousands of lives. This year’s theme, Going the Extra Mile, saw families, clinicians and supporters coming together in matching shirts with strollers, service dogs and handmade signs to honor lives lost and changed.
The event raised funds for Virtua’s Perinatal Bereavement and Palliative Care Program, which offers comprehensive, compassionate services to families with pregnancy or infant loss and is led by Dr. Ann Coyle.
“Every year, the turnout for Run with the Docs increases, and we are so very grateful for the support,” she noted. “These services help families through the most emotional and distressing times of their lives.”
More than 85 teams joined the run in this year alone, with Team Blake raising more than $5,000. Collectively, the event has now raised more than $500,000 since its inception.
Among the crowd was Jackie Mancinelli, founder of Start Healing Together, a nonprofit that advocates for employees navigating pregnancy loss and infertility. After losing her son, Richard, in 2016, Mancinelli created Team Richard Allen and has returned to the run every year with friends and family clad in Batman gear.
“Many of our loved ones didn’t know how to talk about Richard,” Mancinelli explained. “This event gave us a beautiful opportunity to open up communication. It’s one of the few spaces where I can talk about my son and not receive pity; instead, I feel camaraderie and support.”
Mancinelli also represents Count the Kicks, a stillbirth prevention campaign.
“It’s a powerful way to hear each family’s story and validate their grief,” she noted of the run. “Everyone here gets it.”
The Virtua program provides services that include grief resources for parents and children, financial assistance for burial costs and free entombment services for late miscarriages. It also funds specialized training for health-care providers on compassionate communication so they avoid common missteps when delivering tragic news.
“Families don’t forget how they were treated in those moments,” offered Dr. Stacy McCrosson, a physician at Virtua. “We want to make sure their pain is met with empathy, not awkward silence or unhelpful comments.”
Run with the Docs opened with a solemn poem by Coyle, followed by music from the Mummers. Roses were handed to grieving mothers; siblings wore rainbow-colored beads; and angel plaques were on display from Virtua’s Angel Garden, a special memorial space on hospital grounds.
“We try to balance the solemnness of the day with a focus on hope and family,” Coyle pointed out. “One moment, we’re crying, the next we’re dancing. That’s what healing looks like.”
To learn more about Virtua’s Perinatal Bereavement and Palliative Care Program, visit virtua.org/services/pregnancy-and-infant-loss-support.
