Claire Whitten Raphael
The Claire Bear Foundation exists because of Claire Whitten Raphael. Claire was born on June 3, 2014, to parents Justin and Shayna, and big sister Lily. She spent her 10.5 months of life surrounded by love in Tacoma, WA. Whether she was giving open-mouth kisses, sounding off with her big belly laughs, or cruising along furniture to try and keep up with her sister, one thing was sure; Claire was so happy. She was and still is, so loved.
On April 24th, 2015, Claire kissed her mom and sister goodbye, and her dad took her to her in-home child care one last time. Without their knowledge, the provider had been placing Claire in an unsafe sleep environment, and that decision would cost Claire’s life. She was put on their adult mattress for a nap and never woke up.
Knowing that their daughter’s death was completely preventable, and never wanting another family to have to lose their Claire, Justin and Shayna have become fierce advocates for child care safety and infant safe sleep, both locally in Washington State and across the country in Washington DC. They have worked with their local children’s hospital to open up a CPR training room in Claire’s memory, with great appreciation for everything medical personnel did that night to try and save Claire.
And now, the Raphael Family feels so fortunate and grateful to be able to have The Claire Bear Foundation. With this foundation, there will be continued work all centered around infant safety, advocacy, education, providing resources for families, and doing everything possible to keep babies safe!
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/tribnet/obituary.aspx?n=claire-raphael&pid=174735333