Empty Arms

It all started…

On May 6th, 2013, twenty weeks pregnant with her 5th child, Jasmin Herchak found out that her little girl’s heart no longer beating. That evening, confused, in shock, and with no time to plan or process, Jasmin and her husband said a hasty hello and goodbye to their baby girl, Jael. The grief, regret, and research that followed sparked a deep desire to help other perinatal loss families and ensure that they had the knowledge and support needed to make the most of the time with their baby and build a solid foundation from which to set out on their lifelong grieving journey.

In August of 2013, halfway through their second pregnancy, Briana Koop and her family learned that the child they were carrying would not survive birth. At 23 weeks gestation they made the  impossible decision to induce labour. On August 23 that year, Marlow, their second child and first son, was born.

In 2015, Jasmin and Briana met and the beginnings of Empty Arms seemingly fell into place.

It has taken the hard work and dedication of many individuals to get the organization to where it is today.  A wonderful relationship was forged with the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital and the team at the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation which has allowed Empty Arms to have supported over 700 families in hospital. That is not including the countless families and individuals that have been supported outside of the hospital.

Committed to our mission, Empty Arms continues to strive towards creating a community where individuals who have experienced loss of a child feel supported and honoured during some of life’s most challenging moments.

Meet the team behind Empty Arms