LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – While the political arena has its fair share of mud slinging, there are those a rare moments when both sides can unite over a common cause. In one of those rare moments, Rep. Angela Rigas (R-Caledonia) secured a unanimous vote for a resolution which establishes October 15 as “Infant-Loss Day in Michigan.”

HR 149 officially recognizes “the grief of the families who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss and to help heal and comfort these families in a time of pain and heartache, to give the families hope for the future, and to assist women and families across the state in understanding their experience.”

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Rigas, who spoke in favor of the resolution on the House floor, revealed that she has experienced infant loss in four of her eight pregnancies. During her speech, several Democrat colleagues crossed the aisle to stand alongside her for the vote; others shed tears.

“I never thought I would suffer a miscarriage until I did,” Rigas said during her remarks. “I never heard about them. They were ‘dirty little secrets,’ and even after it happens to you, people don’t want to talk about it. But we have to…My son Maverick died on Christmas day. He was buried on New Year’s Eve in a tiny white casket. I was in so much pain that all I wanted to do was crawl into that hole with him. I didn’t want to let him go…We need to reach out to these women and let them know they are not alone. We need to let them know that resources do exist. And we need to create so many more.”

Recommended resources for mothers and families who’ve lost infants include offerings from both the University of Michigan, the State of Michigan, and others as well that include counseling, burial and funeral services.

In addition, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared the entire month of October as “Infant Loss Awareness Month.” In a proclamation, she wrote “a month of remembrance honors the lives of children taken far too soon and supports grieving parents, grandparents, siblings and other family members whose lives are forever altered by the heartbreak of losing a child.”