Katherine Lande Schmeiser
Bereaved Parent / Board Member
1) Describe briefly how you got involved with Empty Arms.
My daughter Mabel was a medically complex beauty. When she was 7 months old, she died in my arms. While her birth had shattered my reality, her death further crushed my understanding of the world and left me alone, hurt, and unsure. I didn't start attending Empty Arms meetings until about 6 months after her death, simply because I was in such a fog that I did not understand what Empty Arms could be to me. In Empty Arms, I found safety. I found friends, solidarity, a willingness to discuss the darkest days, laugh at the silliness of life, and speak Mabel's and the others' names.
2) What makes you most proud of the work we do/What do you like most about Empty Arms?
I'm most proud that Empty Arms will never let a bereaved parent feel alone. The volunteers step outside the comfort of our social norms and lean into the truth of infant loss. A child will never be forgotten in the Empty Arms community.
3) Share a passion in your life and/or work outside of EABS.
When I'm not working, I love to be in the mountains, skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer.
Katherine (Ph.D.) is located in Amherst, MA and professor of economics