INDIANAPOLIS – An Indianapolis woman has made it her job to ensure stillborn babies abandoned by their parents at hospitals receive a proper burial.
Several years ago, Linda Znachko started He Knows Your Name Ministries where she gives funerals to babies.
“My goal is that no baby be left unclaimed in death,” said Znachko.
Health officials said several times a year deceased babies are left at hospitals, and the numbers continue to grow.
“I would say 5 to 10 times a year. It has increased a little bit,” said Donetta Gee-Weiler of Community Health Network.
When babies are left at Community Health, they are cremated and a semi-annual memorial service is held.
“It's called Little Lambs and it's a beautiful ceremony and so if the parents can't be there that's hard to know that we could have helped them, but they did not have the resources or feel comfortable to come forward and say they didn't have the resources,” said Weiler.
Znachko works with hospitals across Indianapolis where she gives each baby a name and a gown before the service.
“There are still people who even being offered help still say no, and don't want to do what needs to be done. That's when I step in,” she said.
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