How sharing your story can help
Sharing how you felt and how you managed in the days, weeks, months, and years following the death of your, or someone else’s, baby or babies, can often help others to feel less isolated and alone.
While each experience of loss is unique, we will often share common thoughts and emotions that mean we can identify with some part of what someone else has written.
If you have been supported by Sands, we’d love you to include this. Hearing how our work has made a difference to you may also encourage other people to reach out for bereavement support from Sands, or to fundraise, donate, or volunteer with us.
Where you might see your story
We may share your story on our website, on social media, and in our publications to help raise awareness of pregnancy and baby loss and break the silence around it.
After submitting your story using our webform, please carefully read the section about the different places your story could appear and tick the boxes to give your consent.
From time to time, we are approached by the media who wish to speak to people who have been affected by pregnancy and baby loss.
If you think this may be something you would like to do, now or in the future, please tick that box and we will get in touch to discuss this further if an opportunity arises. We will always contact you before passing on your name or story to the media.
We will always do our best to keep your story in your words, but occasionally we may need to make small editing changes, for example to remove details that someone else might not have consented to. These will always be made with care and respect. Reading our guidance on writing and sharing your story can help reduce the need for edits.
Keeping in touch
It’s very important to us that you stay in control of your story, understanding how we store it and for how long, and how it may be used.
We take your privacy seriously, follow all applicable fundraising and data protection legislation and guidelines, and will never share your contact details without your express permission.
If you have previously shared your story with us and would like to update it, please get in touch by emailing: RealStories@sands.org.uk or if you decide that you no longer wish for us to store or use your story on our channels please get in touch on the same email.
Finally, we would also love to keep you updated about our work. If you haven’t already, please let us know how you’d like us to keep in touch with you.