Children’s Bereavement Center honors San Antonio Girl Scout for Butterfly Garden

It was a garden created to soothe away children's pains. On Saturday, families held photos of lost loved ones as they remembered them with the release of 200 butterflies.

The choice of a butterfly was perfect for Edmond Padier, 39, his wife Cindy, 45, and son Skylor, 6, gathered with others at the Children's Bereavement Center of South Texas. That was the symbol they associated with their 4-month-old daughter, Leandra Grace Padier, who died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome on Sept. 12, 2012.

They have had private moments at her grave at Sunset Memorial Garden, but Cindy Padier said being with others who could relate to what they were feeling erased a bit of the pain. The event was especially poignant for Edmond Padier who carries his daughter with him everyday: Her face is tattooed on his left shoulder.

It's bittersweet," she said. "It's nice of them to open their hearts to us, I appreciate it. What better way to say Father's Day."

On Saturday, the Padiers were among 45 families at the center on West Olmos Drive to honor their dearly departed and attend the dedication of Girl Scout Ariel Diperi's hand-crafted butterfly garden.

The center's mission is to foster healing for grieving children and youth, from 3 to 23, and their families through counseling, group support programs and youth camps.

"This is their play space and they will love the butterflies," said executive director Marian Sokol said. "It's a beautiful symbolizing of life going on. The butterfly garden will represent the healing and change that can occur."

In March, because of the coronavirus, Any Baby Can had to cancel its annual Infant Loss Remembrance Service at Christ Episcopal Church. The service usually ends with a butterfly release.

The Children's Bereavement Center and Any Baby Can invited the families to use Ariel's garden for the memorial. Any Baby Can supports parents with grief support, funeral assistance, and resources to help them heal.

"This is so important, even though there's a pandemic, grief doesn't stop," said Michele Ramirez, director of the Center for Infant & Child Loss at Any Baby Can. "This is just a perfect opportunity. What matters is that they can express the love they still have for their child."

Ariel, 17, from Girl Scout Troop 77, planned, constructed and installed the garden encased in wood in memory of Laura Allbritton. Her mentor, master gardener Melina McLeod, 59, and a network of supporters helped Ariel take on the project as part of her Girl Scout Gold Award.

Over the course of a year, she had to present the project before a board, raise funds and find a sponsor.

"Learning about the center and all that they do and their goal to help so many people was so inspiring to me," Ariel said. "The fact that their symbol is a butterfly it just all came together. It was a God thing for sure."

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest that a girl can earn said retired U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Angie Salinas, CEO of the Girls Scouts of Southwest Texas.

"This is something that has to have an impact that will carry on long after they are gone," Salinas said.

In the garden, Rebecca Martinez, 46, kissed her fingers and pressed them against her son Ethan's framed photo.

A center staff member handed small, brown triangle-shaped envelopes to Martinez, her husband, Tony Martinez, 58, daughter Skylar Martinez, 18, and Ethan's grandmother Stella Enriquez, 74. They opened their packets at the same time, gazing at the butterflies that slowly fluttered above the center.

"There's a lot of light and happiness here," Rebecca Martinez said.

They spoke fondly of Ethan who died from cancer on Aug. 28, 2019. They recalled how the 13-year-old with bright red hair was a Green Bay Packers fan, like his father. And they remembered that during the four years he spent in and out of the hospital, he never gave up.

"He was a true fighter," Tony Martinez said. "He was my hero."

Vincent T. Davis is a reporter in the Greater San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Vincent, become a subscriber. vtdavis@express-news.net | Twitter: @vincentdavis

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