A host of community groups and individuals experiencing grief over lost pregnancies or infants will be at Westwood Lake on Saturday, Oct. 4. (Nanaimo Community Hospice)

By Alex Rawnsley

butterfly run

‘A taboo grief that nobody talks about:’ Nanaimo run creating conversation around pregnancy loss

Oct 3, 2025 | 4:04 PM

NANAIMO — Bringing more conversations around pregnancy and infant loss into the light is a driving force for an event this weekend.

The Butterfly Run on Vancouver Island will take place in Nanaimo on Saturday, Oct. 4 at Westwood Lake, with a three kilometre walk or five kilometres run offered for anyone who has experienced loss, or is connected to loss of a pregnancy or child.

Local organizer Erin Sowerby Greene told NanaimoNewsNOW upwards of one in four pregnancies will end in loss, whether through miscarriage, stillbirth or termination for a variety of reasons.

“It’s unfortunately a taboo grief that nobody talks about proactively, and then it’s when you are deep in that grief you really realize how many people around you are are grieving silently.”

The hope is more conversation will lead to more community supports and less stigma around having difficult conversations related to grief.

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Included Saturday is a welcome and a host of family-friendly activities at the park.

Local organizations specializing in healthcare, counselling and pregnancy loss will also be available.

Money raised through donations will go to support the Butterfly Support Network, in conjunction with other events in Vancouver, Whistler and Kelowna.

“The funds that are raised go towards one on one counseling for those who cannot afford counseling themselves, in person and virtual support groups,” Sowerby Greene added. “I personally accessed a virtual support group after the death of my daughter, and that was the first real life ring that I could cling to after her death.”

Locally, a variety of community activities are also hosted including bowling nights and group dinners.

One of the key supports offered through the network to parents locally are bereavement boxes.

Approximately the size of a shoebox, the kits contain a host of items key to helping parents deal with the initial stages of their grief.

“it’s filled with all sorts of little memorial items to help remember your baby and something for you to take home when you don’t get to take your child home from the hospital. This could include hand and footprint kits, maybe impression molds, a book to read to your baby, maybe some reassuring books for you.”

Sowerby Greene noted a book she received after losing her daughter Briar in October 2022 was filled with love letters from other parents who’d experienced loss and helped her understand what was to come.

All are welcome to the event, regardless of whether they’ve registered previously or not.

Full details on the run or walk are available on the event website.

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