NEWSFEED
CEO Message: September 2019
Dear Friends,
Hope is such a simple, sweet word. We hear it so often. It conjures up warm feelings, melancholy, certainly some level of anticipation. And yet, as words go, it is tough to define, probably because it means something unique to almost everyone. Expressions prompt us to make it easier: “Just have a little hope.” “Don’t give up hope.” “Hope springs eternal.” But those expressions don’t generally get the job done. We each must define what hope means to us and how we go about capturing this elusive hummingbird in our lives.
A few weeks ago, I was having lunch with a friend whose brother-in-law recently died. The man was decidedly too young, had too much life ahead, and was deeply loved. As true as all those things were, he was not going to survive his very serious illness. Yet, he and his family refused hospice, because to them that was giving up hope.
Working our way through cobb salads and iced tea, my friend and I talked about hope, how it changes, how it evolves. We talked about early hope, such as when a problem comes along or a diagnosis is delivered. At first, it’s about reversing the course, fixing the problem. At some point, it becomes a desire for normalcy with the illness—travel, go to restaurants, visit family and friends, keep up at work. And as serious illness moves and changes, so too does hope. It begins to grow into having time to say I love you, saying thank you and goodbyes, deciding what environment is healing and supportive, and who can give you the best care. As one accepts dying, hope evolves into the hope that dying will be peaceful, and finally hoping that those you love will heal after you die and find ways to keep living their lives fully. We both realized at that moment that, contrary to what we heard, there is HOPE in HOSPICE. It’s in the word, it’s in the care, it’s in the comfort that comes to both the patient and the family.
Hospice Giving Foundation is launching an effort to help people in our community better understand and accept death and dying. It’s a movement for the long term, since this is such a difficult concept in our society. We’re calling it HopeGives and we want you to join us. Hope gives us the strength to shift attitudes and increase access to culture-based end-of-life care. Together HopeGives will help us learn, nurture, and find the healing power of hope.
With gratitude,
Siobhan Greene
President/CEO