11 Nov Gifts born from grief: How one mum turned loss into comfort for others
After unimaginable loss, one mum built a business to help others grieve with personalised memorial gifts that honour cherished loved ones with meaning and care.
Yvonne Ralph has experienced more heartbreak than most could imagine.
Thirty years ago, her world shattered when her 18-month-old daughter Jessica died suddenly from what doctors ruled was cot death.
“We went to bed, and woke up the next morning and she was gone,” Yvonne recalls. “It completely changed my life. That kind of grief never leaves you.”
More devastating loss followed with the deaths of her sister and niece in a car accident, and later, her mother-in-law to breast cancer.
“It was a traumatic few years. It changed how I see life and love forever.”
In 2016, Yvonne and her eldest daughter Cassie started a small personalised gift business on the NSW Central Coast. Then, heartbreak struck their family again when Yvonne’s niece Hannah delivered a stillborn baby.
Seeing Hannah’s pain, Yvonne hand-made a keepsake box and memorial plaque to honour baby Darcy.
“Giving her something physical to hold onto… it helped me too. That’s when I knew our business had a bigger purpose.”
From that moment, the focus shifted — from gifts, to healing.
Turning pain into purpose
Today, Chain Valley Gifts is run by Yvonne and her daughters Cassie and Brigette. The family creates personalised memorial keepsakes to bring comfort to people navigating grief — from miscarriage and child loss to the passing of parents, partners, and even pets.
“It’s not about the item itself,” Yvonne explains. “It’s about letting someone know they’re not alone. That their person mattered.”
Every piece is designed and made in Australia, including keepsake boxes, plaques, cushions, ornaments, remembrance candles and memory gifts for pets.
Support shaped by lived experience
Driven by a desire to help others in meaningful ways, Yvonne has completed training in life coaching, grief support and neuro-linguistic programming.
“I often take the customer calls myself,” she says. “Sometimes people just need to tell their story. If I can offer comfort — even in a small way — that’s everything.”
For Yvonne, the work has become more than a business. It’s a mission born from love, loss, and a deep belief in the healing power of remembrance.
“It fills my soul knowing that something we’ve created brings people comfort on their hardest days.”
For more information, visit https://www.chainvalleygifts.com.au/
