Reg Green and his family made headlines worldwide in 1994 by donating their 7-year-old son’s organs after the boy was shot in a botched robbery. Now, Reg reports, the number of Americans waiting for organs is nearing 100,000. What can you do to help?
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Ellie Valdez Honeyman has touched and inspired very many lives. She was one of those rare souls whom others are always happy to encounter, even if just in passing and to share a quick hello. She had a natural way of always leaving other feeling uplifted, and I know those who had the privilege of knowing her will always remember that. Ellie died earlier this week after a very courageous battle with cancer. And the tremendous number of lives she touched in her lifetime ranged from those who loved her dearly, to a large community of friends who were deeply touched reading about her brave and valiant battle with her terrible cancer which became yet another inspiring testament of just “who” she was. I met Ellie […]
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Caregiver relationships are as complicated as everybody else’s. Caregiving isn’t always sweet and sentimental. What happens if you need to/are asked to care give someone who has hurt you deeply? I met a woman at a book club once and her face revealed her suffering. She shared that her husband had late stage Parkinson’s and she was basically housebound and caring for him 24/7. She looked beyond exhausted. She also shared that she probably should have left him years ago. Sometimes we stay–for the kids–for the security. Because we were too chicken to leave. Now it’s too late. We need […]
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Alzheimer’s usually strikes when someone is older–a time in their life when people typically slow down. Many Alzheimer’s live on the edge–always anxious, overly alert, agitated, and sometimes mean. A common sight in a memory disorder unit, facility, or center (they can be called different names) is to see a person walking and walking. Pacing like a caged cougar. They never sit. They have a wild look in their eye. Only when you see several Alzheimer’s/dementia/Lewy Body (a Parkinson’s form of dementia) all together do you realize that your loved one isn’t the only one who does this–that it must be the […]
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By Diana Doyle — Until the year 2000, my life resembled a fairy tale. I had a loving family, husband and an adorable two-year-old daughter. Over the next three years, what seemed impossible back then, happened to me. I lost three of the most important people in my life. My sister was killed in a car accident, leaving four little ones motherless; my mother was diagnosed and succumbed to ovarian cancer; and, most inconceivably, my previously healthy daughter, Savannah, died from a rare genetic disease. Although each death was different, the tsunami of emotions was similar. I felt like my […]
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The closet full of his shirts, ties, jackets and slacks. His well worn slippers next to his side of the bed. His wallet and eyeglasses. His razor and toothbrush. The tool chest in the garage. His tennis racket. His harmonica collection and guitars. His treasured complete set of vintage Beatles imports on vinyl. All those science fiction books that fill more than half of our bookcases. What do we do with all the “stuff” that belonged to our spouse who has died? So many people stand ready to quickly offer glib advice […]
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Sally from California asks: I lost my mother two months back. I’m 21, the elder child and suddenly feel that my world has been turned upside down. I’m studying away from home and have blocked my grief out completely. But on the days it makes an appearance, the pain is unbearable. Will the pain ever reduce? Carol O’Dell, author of Mothering Mother, responds: Yes, the pain will subside, give it time. Lots of time. But also know that the grief you’re experiencing is absolutely normal. You lost your mom. You shouldn’t have lost your mom so soon. Your grief tells […]
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By Pamela Gabbay — When I was 25 years old, I learned about life and death in the same month. At the beginning of July, I had my first child, a precious baby girl. By the end of July, my 49-year-old father was dead. He was a truck driver who fell asleep at the wheel of his truck in the middle of the night. He crashed and died instantly. When he died, my world crashed in. I walked around in a stupor trying to make sense of this new, foreign world. I didn’t know what to feel. I didn’t know […]
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By Howard Gluss — Recently a patient of mine was newly diagnosed with HIV. After the initial shock of the diagnosis the patient appeared to handle the reality of the diagnosis quite well. He immediately received all the necessary medical treatment and began a medication regimen. All seemed to be going well until he reported that he was having great difficulty remembering to take his medication. What we discovered in therapy was that he had attached a lot of negative psychological meaning and symbolism to the medication. He stated that every time he took his meds it reminded him of […]
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Susan from New York writes: My therapist died suddenly on Aug. 18. I miss him so so so much because I used him for 22 years. Any suggestions on how to make myself feel better? I am so deeply saddened. Dr. Gloria Horsley responds: Dear Susan, I am truly sorry to hear of the death of your therapist. We sometimes forget that our therapists are only too human. I too lost a therapist many years ago. My therapist was guilty of malpractice but nevertheless, no longer being able to see him was a blow to me. I felt that I […]
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Open to Hope is an online community offering inspirational stories of loss, hope and recovery. We believe hope is the bridge between loss and recovery.
