We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bella Bruce a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Bella, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

WLJ Angel Gowns is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Augusta, Ga. It was created in memory of my grandson, my daughters son, Wyatt Lee Johnson (WLJ). We found out at my daughters 20 week anatomy scan that Wyatt had Bilateral Multicystic Dysplastic Kidneys. It affected both of his kidneys. We had Wyatt June 2, 2016 at 30 weeks gestation. He was absolutely perfect. He lived for just 2hours, 10 minutes. Unfortunately, the person who was to have an angel gown ready for us didn’t. My daughter spent the following day looking for a gown for him. Being that he was just 3lbs 9 oz and 15″ in length. she had to settle for an American girl doll gown. Where is the only place to find a gown for your angel baby? A baby store. Where is the LAST place a grieving mother/father/family wants to look for something for their angel? A baby store. We want to alleviate that heartbreaking task for our angel families.

Bella, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

We accept donated wedding gowns and formal dresses and transform them into angel gowns, angel wraps, and angel buntings. We then donate them anywhere in the United States to hospitals, family-owned funeral homes, and individual families who suffer infant loss. We are able to accommodate any gestational loss up to a newborn size.

We provide memory packages both nationally and internationally to families who have suffered an infant loss.

We also provide Cuddle Cots to Georgia Hospitals. A Cuddle Cot is a cooling bassinet that regulates a babies body temperature so that families have more time with their angels. This cooling unit is huge for our families. Had we had access to one, my daughter could have had days with her Wyatt. Unfortunately, she had less than 24 hours with him. We want to help our angel families with the gift of time.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My Co-Founder is my oldest child, Kayla Johnson. She is Wyatt’s mother. She is also the mother to Wyatt’s siblings: Elizabeth, Kane, Lincoln, and Ella Grace.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think my daughter sharing her journey with Wyatt on Facebook helped us. She was open and raw with all that was going on in her pregnancy. She brought a face to a subject that no one wants to talk about. No one ever goes into a pregnancy thinking their baby will not survive. She opened the lines of communication for these families to have a safe place to talk. We have many families reach out to us to share their stories with us. Many of these families don’t get the support from the people around them. They can talk to us in confidence with no judgement.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wljangelgowns.org
• Instagram: instagram.com/wljag
• Facebook: facebook.com/wljangelgowns
• Twitter: twitter.com/wljangel