Open to Hope Articles

Articles Home

Michelle Ramirez: Spanish

Posted on January 24, 2019 - by John Rampton

Michelle Ramirez es una consular de duelo y ella habló con John Rampton de Open to Hope acerca de los retos que enfrentan los familiares que experimentan duelo por la muerte de un familiar que decidió donar tejidos. Es importante notar que estas familias, después de experimentar su pérdida, pasan por estadios de dolor, duelo, enojo y muchas otras emociones. Ella dice, “es un viaje delicado, pero también especial.” Michelle reconoce que no todas las culturas lidian con el duelo igual y que depende de muchas cosas como estas familias pasan por este viaje. Es necesario entender la cultura, la […]

21-Year-Old Wonders How to Deal With Pain of Mother-Loss

Posted on January 22, 2019 - by Carol O'Dell

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 […]

Don’t Fall for These Grief Myths!

Posted on January 18, 2019 - by Harriet Hodgson

Grief is an assault on the body, mind, and soul. You anticipated this. However, you may not have been prepared for the myths that surround grief. Despite research and anecdotal evidence, false myths persist. We can’t seem to avoid them and believing these myths can slow grief recovery. In 2007 four family members died–my daughter (mother of my twin grandchildren), my father-in-law, my brother, and the twins’ father. Grief myths found me in record time. Be on the lookout for these myths. Don’t let repetition imprint them in your mind. Myth: You will be over grief in a month or […]

Ila Roy: Spanish

Posted on January 17, 2019 - by Jessica Tyner Mehta

Ila Roy es una trabajadora social con los Institutos Nacionales de Salud (NIH) y ella habla con John Rampton de Open to Hope. Roy trabaja en cuidados intensivos y ve a muchos pacientes de Latinoamérica y el Caribe que llegan al instituto a veces porque es su última opción. “Lamentablemente, su condición ya es muy avanzada,” explica Roy cuando Rampton le pregunta que por qué a veces el tratamiento no funciona. Ser trabajadora social en cuidados intensivos no es nada fácil, comparte Roy. Ella ayuda a los familiares y a veces hasta al mismo paciente (si él/ella es capaz de […]

Open To Hope Inspired by Horsley Family Tragedy

Posted on January 15, 2019 - by Gloria Horsley

Dr. Gloria Horsley is the founder of the Open to Hope Foundation. She created the non-profit organization after losing her son, Scott, in 1983. “We thought we would never survive,” she recalls, as her family was completely devastated. At the time, there wasn’t as much support and resources available as there are today. However, with the love of so many others, she was able to find hope again. The Open to Hope Foundation is an online community of support featuring videos, articles, a radio show, YouTube channel, and forums so the bereaved can “lean on our hope until you find […]

Kathie Supiano: Caring Connection

Posted on January 12, 2019 - by Gloria Horsley

Dr. Kathie Supiano heads the Caring Connections at the University of Utah, and was recently interviewed by Dr. Gloria Horsley during the Association for Death Education and Counseling 2015 conference. As part of the university’s school of nursing program, Caring Connections is unique amongst the industry. “We are the only large, comprehensive bereavement program based in a college of nursing in the United States,” Dr. Supiano explains. With comprehensive backing from the university and state of Utah, Dr. Supiano says, “We have a wide variety of grief support groups that we offer.” There are options for those who have lost […]

From the Ashes of my Father’s Death

Posted on January 9, 2019 - by Emily Kil

(Contributing writer Emily Kil co-wrote this article with her husband based on his childhood experience.) A 9-year old boy should be playing with friends, going to school, and making lifetime memories with his parents and family. Unfortunately, as a 9-year old boy, my life took turn down a pathway that should never have to be walked by a young child. Unfortunately, tragedies of different types impact the lives of children, sometimes with devastating and lasting consequences. I share some of my experiences as a child. My hope is that others will benefit from what I share – and may be […]

Dear Dad Letters: From a Bereaved Son

Posted on January 7, 2019 - by Gary Jaworski

Panic Attack Dear Dad, Tonight I went to a play at the Shakespeare Theater with my wife and a friend. We sat in the middle of the theater. I have a severe panic attack and insist on leaving the theater. “Can’t you stay?” “The play hasn’t even started yet!” Disappointment and anger. I remember earlier episodes in movie theaters where I felt intense anxiety just sitting in the theater. They don’t understand, and neither do I … for a while. Then it occurs to me: we’re in a theater and death is right behind us! Dear Dad, A work colleague took me to the emergency room […]

When the Loss is Not a Death: Interview with Dr Darcy Harris

Posted on January 2, 2019 - by Heidi Horsley

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with Dr Darcy Harris about families and their struggles with infertility and the unacknowledged loss. Darcy originally got interested in this topic when she was doing research on couples going through infertility treatment. The language they were using was the language of grief and loss even though there wasn’t a death in the traditional sense. They were mourning the loss of baby they were hoping for but never appeared. That experience got Darcy thinking more about non-death related loss. There is still a lot of misunderstanding when it […]

Trauma Treatments During Grief

Posted on December 30, 2018 - by Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi Horsley

Dr. Gloria Horsley and her daughter, Dr. Heidi Horsley, discuss trauma treatments in their 49th Open to Hope Foundation episode. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk of the Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute and a professor at Boston University, and Dr. David Fajgenbaum of The Bone and Joint Surgery Clinic join Drs. Horsley to discuss how treating traumas is unique. “Trauma overwhelms the human organism,” says Dr. van der Kolk. Trauma therapy is a means of treating the whole body, with the understanding that a person has been through something that is wholly overwhelming. When Dr. Gloria Horsley shared a […]