Unique sculpture unveiled in Bracebridge in memory of baby boy

The legacy of a baby boy from Bracebridge, Ont. will live on after a unique sculpture in his memory was unveiled Friday.

"We lost our son Miles to a rare form of soft tissue cancer when he was just one year old," said his mother, Kate Hammond.

The sculpture, created in Miles' honour, replicates a small tree filled with birds, including one feeding a baby bird in a nest, and is next to the new Blackbridge, a place with special memories for the Hammonds.

"In treatment, we had just moved to Matthiasville, this area, so we used to go for walks as they were building the new bridge," said Miles' dad, Kent Hammond.

A sculpture in Bracebridge, Ont., is unveiled on Fri., Oct. 21, 2022, in memory of a baby boy who lost his life to cancer. (CTV News/Catalina Gillies)

The sculpture, valued at $10,000, was funded by donations from family, with the Town supplying some of the infrastructure.

"We were presented the idea about a year-plus ago, and town council asked our public arts advisory committee to work with the family," explained Bracebridge Mayor Rick Maloney.

A sculpture in Bracebridge, Ont., is unveiled on Fri., Oct. 21, 2022, in memory of a baby boy who lost his life to cancer. (CTV News/Catalina Gillies)

Artist Hilary Clark Cole said her creation took roughly six months to complete, adding the idea for the baby bird just came to her.

"I don't often accept commissions if I feel I can't do it justice, (or) if I feel like I don't have the right idea or thought. This was such a sensitive and important piece to be done for everyone concerned," she said.

Clark Cole made the design from a nickel and steel mix to guarantee it would be around for years to come, ensuring Miles' memory would never be forgotten.

A sculpture in Bracebridge, Ont., is unveiled on Fri., Oct. 21, 2022, in memory of a baby boy who lost his life to cancer. (CTV News/Catalina Gillies)

The Hammonds plan to visit it often.

"We have a two-and-half-month-old daughter named Nora, so we'll be bringing her here and talking about her brother a lot," Kate said.

The sculpture is only part of Miles' legacy, an endowment fund at Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital has been set up to raise funds for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in memory of a little boy taken too soon.