Open to Hope Articles

Articles Home

Honoring Sibling Loss

Posted on March 24, 2025 - by Gloria Horsley

Honoring Sibling Loss The discussion centers on the deep pain and continuing impact of losing a sibling. The conversation gathers heartfelt stories, personal reflections, and practical advice from those who have experienced such a loss. The dialogue touches on the challenges of grief, how sibling loss shapes personal identity, and ways to remember those who have passed. The speakers share how these losses have altered the course of their lives and offer inspiration for others dealing with similar emotions. Sharing Personal Journeys Several individuals recount their experiences with sibling loss. Among the speakers is a host who is a doctor, […]

Transform Trauma into Purpose

Posted on March 17, 2025 - by Gloria Horsley

Transform Trauma into Purpose Dr. Melissa Red Hoffman, an acute care surgeon at Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, shares her powerful story of surviving two traumatic losses and finding meaning in their aftermath. As one of only 90 surgeons board-certified in hospice and palliative medicine, her unique perspective bridges the gap between acute trauma care and end-of-life support. A Life-Altering Loss At age 19, Dr. Hoffman experienced her first devastating loss when her father was murdered in Cairo, Egypt. He was 47 years old, on a business trip working on a pipeline between Egypt and Israel, when he was […]

Finding Hope in the Darkness

Posted on March 10, 2025 - by Linda Henderson

Finding Hope in The Darkness The Grief of the loss of my daughter deeply embedded itself in my soul. The loss of a child is a profound, life-altering experience. The journey through this loss is one of unimaginable pain that seeps into every cell of existence. The unbearable despair of Grief makes Hope inconceivable and feels unreachable. The weight of Grief is suffocating, making it seem impossible to see any light. Understanding Grief Grief is a whole-body experience. The harsh impact attacks a person with changes that influence us physically, emotionally, cognitively, socially, and in every way possible. Depression, sadness, […]

Lingering Guilt about my Father’s Death

Posted on March 9, 2025 - by Bob Baugher

Lingering Guilt about my Father’s Death On January 11, 2003, I sat on my father’s bed chatting with him at the Mercer Island Care Center. At age 80, he was attempting to recover from a bout of pneumonia. At around 9:30 pm, I kissed him good-bye, got up from the bed and said I’d see him tomorrow. I can still see him lying in the bed, waving to me, both of us feeling assured that we would indeed be together tomorrow. At 6:30 am the next day, I received a call from the nurse saying that he was having a […]

Father Pens 30th Birthday Message to Deceased Son

Posted on March 8, 2025 - by Ron Villano

Message to Deceased Son My son, Michael, was born 30 years ago today. It would have been amazing to see what he would have looked like. I often dream about what he would be doing with his life. Married? Kids? Or… still living at home?!? Well, he is still at home. His stocking is on my fireplace at Christmas. His picture is on the mantle and in my home office. Michael is also at work, in my wallet, and on the internet. His rap CD, just recently created from old cassette tapes, is being heard by others for the first […]

Daughter Feels Little Support for Mother-Loss

Posted on March 5, 2025 - by Marty Tousley

Question on Feeling Little Support for Mother-Loss Question: I tearfully happened upon your website by chance this morning. My dearest friend, my mom, died in my arms this past month. I had brought her here to live with me after her colon cancer returned. From the moment of diagnosis, I watched her hurt and endure so much treatment, never giving up, always smiling, always gentle, humble. Since she died, I’ve received very little support from my husband or anyone else. I joined an online grief group, but I do not feel as if I belong there. My friends have faded […]

To Lose a Twin

Posted on March 4, 2025 - by Linda Pountney

To Lose a Twin I was taken captive by life and death at the age of twenty-one. My identical twin sister Paula and I faced life together for twenty-one years. We never imagined life without the other. As twins, we had an unspoken pact to care for one another. When she died suddenly in a small plane crash, I questioned who I was in the world without her. Could I even function in life without my twin? Our losses are as unique and personal as our love. All bereavement experiences are different. For me, grieving for my sister came many […]

Where Do I Belong Now? After Both Parents Die

Posted on February 28, 2025 - by Nina Impala

After Both Parents Die Dad died suddenly in my early fifties. At the funeral, I will never forget the feeling of being 6 years old in a 50-something-year-old body. Mom died just a few short years later; I was strong until the end with her as she battled breast cancer. My years in hospice made me acutely aware of how quickly she would be leaving us. At her funeral the same feeling took over; as the pall bearers walked past me with my mother, I became a child inside. A lady once said to me many, many years ago, I […]

Ending Your Life Is Not the Answer

Posted on February 28, 2025 - by Stan Popovich

Ending Your Life Is Not the Answer You are at the end of your rope, and you can’t take it any much longer. You are in pain and you are suffering and you feel there is no hope. The first thing that you need to do is to seek the services of a professional counselor. As a published author of a managing fear book and as a layman, here are five reasons why suicide is not an option to your problems. Things Change Over Time Regardless of your situation, things do not stay the same. You may feel very bad […]

Lucky Hat: Rituals Keep Parents’ Hope Alive

Posted on February 27, 2025 - by Lisa Buell

Rituals Keep Parents’ Hope Alive The double doors are closed to Three North at Stanford Children’s Hospital, where my daughter Madison is supposed to get her chemotherapy. It’s our second session, Maddy is seven months old sitting patiently in her stroller as I come up to the thick double doors. This is a very bad sign, these door being closed. Maybe Maddy shouldn’t get chemo today. These doors haven’t been closed before, something’s wrong. The hair stands up on my arms, a tingling sensation crawls up my back, sits on my head like a hat. My partner Nancy is down […]