Former Patient Donates Bereavement Resources to Saint Francis

Crystal Taylor, along with her husband, Robert, donated bereavement resources to New Beginnings in hopes of providing comfort to other families who have suffered a loss.

“I wanted to give other families who have gone through losses something comforting to take home,” said Crystal Taylor, founder of the charity program Faith’s Wings. Since 2018, the program has been carrying out its mission to provide bereavement resources for families who have experienced the loss of a pregnancy, infant, or child. Named for her daughter, Celeste Faith, who was lost to a miscarriage, Crystal ran Faith’s Wings for several years, providing handmade comfort items to others suffering a new loss. The donations, all handmade by Crystal or one of several volunteers, include knit blankets and “angel crowns” of all sizes, gowns, knit “baby boats,” keepsakes and memorabilia, and luminary bags.

“It took a team of angels to make this happen,” Crystal said, as she recognized the team of volunteers who helped her create the donated items throughout the years, including her husband, Robert.

Crystal recently made the difficult decision to close Faith’s Wings, but not before making one final donation to give back to the place where she received comfort and support. Through a collaboration with Cassie Halpin, MSN, C-EFM, CPST, Childbirth Educator and Parental Bereavement Coordinator in the Saint Francis Hospital Women and Infants Department, Crystal is donating the remainder of Faith’s Wings resources as a way to help keep Celeste’s memory alive.

“This completes my circle,” said Crystal. “My story started at Saint Francis, and I am now closing this chapter by donating these items to Saint Francis, which helped me get through that difficult time. The nurses and doctors at Saint Francis were so accommodating and comforting and gave me the support I needed. It means the world to me to be able to share these gifts with other families, and I think my daughter would be proud of that.”