Open to Hope Articles
Do you want to read stories of others who have been where you are? Are you looking for bereavement help, and advice? Look no further. We offer over 3,000 articles written by our Open to Hope authors.
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Surviving Child Demonstrates Meaning of Easter
April 9, 2009
By Mitch Carmody — In December of 1987, our 9-year-old son, Kelly James, died following two arduous years of fighting brain cancer. That ensuing Christmas, we were so numb in our grief that much of it is now a faded memory. But that following Easter, we received a gift, a gift that I share it with you now. When Kelly died, his sister Meagan was 6 years old; our only child now, she was left with two grieving parents who were in a deep funk for the most of a long Minnesota winter. We had fought so long to save […]
Playing Hurt
April 6, 2009
by Carolina Fernandez When we got the call at 2 AM last Saturday, I hopped out of bed with the thought that anyone faced with a ring in the middle of the night would have: “Who in the world would be calling us at this hour?” I looked at caller ID and, not recognizing the number and seeing that it was not Nick, our son away at college some thirteen hours from home I yawned and crawled back into bed, pulling the down covers way up over my head. Forgetting all about that middle-of-the-night-call, I moved through Sunday morning as always: […]
Film Review: The Sweet Hereafter
April 5, 2009
By Fran Dorf — This somber, difficult film directed by Atom Egoyan, based on the 1991 novel by Russell Banks, is set in a small town in the aftermath of a school bus accident that has killed most of the town’s children. Into this devastating scene descends a slick, big city, ambulance-chasing lawyer, played by Ian Holmes. He is a man pursued by the demons of losing his own daughter to drugs, and he visits each of the victims’ parents to stir up their anger and coax them to participate in a class action lawsuit to profit fr om the […]
Father’s Photographs Show ‘Signs’ of Lost Son
April 2, 2009
By Guy Dusseault — Our story begins on June 27, 2004, a beautiful Sunday morning. At around 10:00 am, our lives changed forever. We received the most devastating news any parent could ever receive, that one of our children had died. Our son Billy was killed when the ATV he was riding at night hit a tree. For the next eight months, we just tried to survive the next day, and I began attempting to make contact with Billy. It seemed like a natural next step. I had to find a way to connect with Billy. I had no idea […]
Dr. Barbara Paul: 10 Most Upsetting Things to Say to a Bereaved Parent
April 1, 2009
Dr Barbara Paul discusses the 10 Most Upsetting Things for Bereaved Parents to Experience.
Kathleen Gilbert: Couples Coping with the Loss of a Child
April 1, 2009
Dr Kathleen Gilbert and Dr Gloria C. Horsley talk about loss of a child and how couples cope.
Reminiscing…
March 31, 2009
by Sandy Fox What would my life have been like if my daughter were alive today? I often think of that question and ponder on the answers. I envision all sorts of scenarios. Marcy and her husband would be giving lots of parties. They were both involved in the Hollywood scene and were meeting lots of new people in 1994 when she died. Marcy knew how much I liked Barry Manilow, so back in 1992 when she found out that as part of her job, she was in charge of a reception he was singing at, she invited me to […]
Woman Overwhelmed by Series of Major Losses
March 30, 2009
Hannah writes in: I buried my only son last year. But my story starts way before that. He was a Marine, he left as soon as he graduated. He did two tours in Iraq and came home in 2005. In July of 2006 he went to work for someone that I went to grade school and high school with. He got a beijing job working for a private security company stationed in Kuwait. I last saw him in October of 2006 when he came home for two weeks to attend his friend’s wedding. We spent about 10 days together. It […]
