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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Episode 108 :Supporting Suicide Survivors with Marilyn Koenig and Dr. Patrick Arbore
August 3, 2017
On this show Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi Horsley interview Marilyn Koenig bereaved parent, co-founder and Executive Director of Friends for Survival and Dr. Patrick Arbore founder of The Friendship Line regarding their work in prevention and support of suicide survivors. A video is shown of The Friendship Line. Alan Pedersen Executive Director of The Compassionate Friends sings his original music to close the show.
Episode 107: Carol Kearns and Deborah Kennedy-Putting Death Into Perspective
August 3, 2017
On this show Dr. Gloria Horsley and Dr. Heidi interview Dr. Carol Kearns, bereaved mother of Kristen and author of Sugar Cookies and a Nightmare and expert in grief in the workplace and Deborah Kennedy bereaved daughter and author of Nature Speaks: Art and Poetry For The Earth regarding death and renewal as part of the human experience. The show closes with Vi singing Surrender.
Mark Keep: Grief-Keeping A Healthy Heart
August 3, 2017
Dr. Mark Keep is a physician specializing in Internal Medicine, Cardiology and Addiction. After the death of his 7-year-old daughter, Alissa in 2007 he began studying grief responses including, posttraumatic stress syndrome, and grief induced substance abuse. Mark uses traditional as well as complementary and alternative methods in his evaluation and treatment.
Jean Ann Williams: God’s Mercies After Suicide
July 27, 2017
Jean Ann Williams published a book on suicide loss after her youngest son Joshua took his own life in 2004. “God’s Mercies after Suicide: Blessings Woven through a Mother’s Heart” is a devotional style memoir showing how God walked alongside her in the most difficult grieving journey of her life. http://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/opentohope.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/17172019/Jean-Ann-Williams.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
An Evolution of Feeling: How Grief Changes Over Time
July 26, 2017
I’ve noticed that, as a rule, we don’t particularly care to talk about how old we are, so I was amused when a friend did some arithmetic based on some of my recollections and determined that I am 70. We had been discussing worry and he wondered if I worry less now that I am older (not “old,” mind you, but “older”). It’s an interesting question and part of the broader issue of how my experience of feeling has evolved. Mark Twain, on the occasion of attaining his seven decade milestone, said that now that he had climbed the […]
Gardening Through Grief
July 24, 2017
I think back to the summer of 2011, when our oldest son died suddenly in August. From that moment on, my life forever changed. All the plans I had made were now in the background as I searched for normalcy. Even daily routines were put on hold, as I grappled with just doing the next thing in my broken life. And that included a Master Gardening class I had previously enrolled in, paid for, and was scheduled to begin that fall. I told my husband that there was no way I would do this class. In those first stages […]
‘His Life Was Brief’: Grieving the Death of an Infant
July 23, 2017
The first time I saw my son, he was lying in a NICU incubator with a small, clear tube protruding from his mouth to help him breathe. The adhesive that kept the ventilator tube in place covered most of his tiny face. His eyes were closed, taped shut to keep out the bright light. He lay there, tiny and helpless, as the doctors explained to me that he needed surgery to close the whole between his heart and his lungs. In healthy newborns, this hole closes at birth. In premature infants like Jackson, it doesn’t. As his tiny body lay […]
Amy Cooper : Overdose Prevention
July 13, 2017
Amy Cooper is a singer/songwriter and bereaved parent whose son died of an accidental overdose in 2014. She is the Outreach Director with the National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse and is a member of the Santa Clara County Opioid Overdose Prevention Project Coalition. Her goal is to bring awareness and education regarding drug abuse through community programs and proactive policy change. http://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/opentohope.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/06113429/Amy-Cooper.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Son’s Death Like the Loss of a Limb
June 26, 2017
Grief? I can only explain it one way to those who ask how I am. To anyone who dares ask if I am getting over it. My son’s death was like having a leg cut off, the edge where it was hacked off remaining raw and exposed, scabbing over at times, just waiting for someone to rip the scab off with a question or comment to again expose the raw meat of pain to the air. Once you’ve lost a leg, it is always gone. I constantly miss it, phantom pain reminding me of the loss. I’m secretly jealous of all […]
