Ryan was here ...



My not-so-sweet nothings, mostly comprised of my feelings at losing my two-day-old son, Ryan David, to congenital heart defects, and to celebrate the arrival of Ryan's healthy little sister, Megan Elizabeth, and hopefully welcome another little miracle into our brood in July 2010.


Tuesday, November 28, 2006

What's wrong with this picture?

I get to see plenty of billboards during my commute to and from work, advertising anything from new home developments to cars, from pest control to restaurants. And, they're hardly inconspicuous, which I guess is the point.

This morning, though, I was more than speechless when I saw a billboard that touted a local maternity center's motto of "Every day is a birth day," while the backside of the billboard read:

Every 9 hours a baby dies in North Carolina.

Who can I thank for that brutally honest public service announcement?

I was sickened, too, since Ryan was born at the maternity center that's advertised on the front of the billboard, and he's also a part of that unfortunate statistic splashed across the back of it. Yay.

Who is the intended target audience with a billboard message and placement such as that? I can't be the only person who noticed this horribly insensitive discrepancy, can I?

3 Comments:

  • At November 28, 2006 6:31 PM, Blogger delphi said…

    What a distorted combination! On one hand, I am slightly pleased that someone is mentioning pregnancy loss in a visible location. On the other hand, I am quite shocked at context you've described for this billboard. Loss is too important and sensitive of a topic to be handled in such a way, in my humble opinion.

     
  • At November 29, 2006 11:07 PM, Blogger Denise said…

    (((hugs))) - I guess they were going for shock value...which they certainly achieved. I think there are better ways to bring awareness to infant loss. I'm sorry you had to see that.

     
  • At December 02, 2006 12:25 AM, Blogger Samantha said…

    Sherry, I live in NC and haven't seen that one yet.

    I can say after losing my first 2 months ago that I have made several comments lately how more women need to know how these things can still happen. But, I am not so sure a roadside billboard is the way to go.

     

Post a Comment

<< Home