BAMC celebrates the life of infants lost during Remembrance Ceremony

In the early days that followed, all appeared fine, and Revell assumed she would experience a routine pregnancy except for the occasional fatigue.

But at 23 weeks, Revell had cause for alarm.

“I had abrupt right abdominal pain,” she said. “I knew something wasn’t right.”

After being admitted to BAMC, Revell was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome, a life-threatening pregnancy complication, along with preeclampsia. “Those two conditions made it dangerous for me until the baby was born,” she said.

In a matter of days, their son, Rex, was born prematurely via cesarean section, 23 weeks and 6 days, weighing 1.2 pounds. “He came out breathing and made a little cry,” Revell recalled. “He wanted to fight.”

At first, Rex seemed to be doing well while in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. “Doctors discovered he had a heart defect,” Revell said. “If he was big enough, they could repair it with surgery, but he was too small.”

Rex soon developed an abdominal infection, and his condition deteriorated. Then, on Dec. 17, 2023, at just 20 days old, he passed away.

Revell and her husband were among more than 100 people who gathered on a cool and breezy morning, Oct. 16, for a Perinatal and Pediatric Loss Remembrance Ceremony to honor the lives of premature and infant babies who left their parents much too soon. The Department of Ministry and Pastoral Care hosted the event.

At the start of the ceremony, Army Chaplain (Maj.) Joshua Kim reminded families and guests of the significance of the occasion.

“Today is not about asking you to remember because love ensures that our children are never forgotten,” he said. “Instead, today is about community. It is a reminder that you do not walk this sacred ground alone. We are here to bear witness to your grief, to celebrate the precious lives and dreams of your little ones, and to draw strength from one another.”

Guest speaker Lindsay Unsworth, wife of BAMC Deputy Chief, Department of Ministry and Pastoral Care, Army Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Jason Unsworth, delivered a memorial message, as she recounted the loss of their baby, Ginny, and the ensuing heartbreak.

“At the 20-weeks’ ultrasound, I knew that something was wrong,” she shared with the audience. “It had gone on for too long, and there were too many doctors and nurses coming in and out of the room to look at the monitor. We were all eventually brought into the cry room, where the doctors gently broke the news. Our little butterfly had a heart defect and spina bifida, indicative of a possible genetic disease.”

Several months later, Ginny passed away on her due date of July 4, 2014.

“I miss her deeply and grieve what the future could have been,” Unsworth said. “I grieve the life that she and we have missed out on. But death is bittersweet, and our little butterfly also did amazing things in her short existence. She taught us about love, community, charity and grace. And she did all this without even being born.”

In a solemn tribute, Amy Beyer, NICU social worker, read aloud the names of 18 infants. A bell rang after each name. “There are 156 other babies whose parents chose to remember silently and who we honor today as well,” she said

Army Master Sgt. Cory Caston was also among those who attended the remembrance ceremony. He and his wife, Lindsey, lost their first child, Olivia Grace, in 2013, from complications following her birth at 29 weeks. He said the event allows parents like himself to remember those precious souls in the company of others.

“I think it’s great to take the time each year to remember her at an event like this while supporting other families who have gone through a similar experience,” Caston said.

The ceremony concluded with a butterfly release. Pastoral staff distributed purple, triangular-shaped envelopes to attendees. They were then asked to open the envelopes to let the butterflies fly away.

Today, life is brighter for the Revell and Caston families. Caston and his wife now have two daughters, ages 6 and 12.

“I love being a girl dad,” he said, smiling.

As for the Revells, Lyddia gave birth in 2024 to a girl, Reese, now 15 months old. “She was our rainbow baby,” Lyddia said.

The Revells find great comfort, Lyddia said, knowing that Reese “now has a guardian angel watching over her forever.”

And that little angel has a name – Rexton “Rex” Marshall Revell.