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Articles:

The Smile Again Story

On June 15, 1994, I received a call from my Dad. He told me I better get to the hospital, the doctors didn’t think my brother would make it through the day. My heart fell out of my body and I couldn’t breath. I heard something in my Dad’s voice that I couldn’t deny. In someway, I knew that it was the last day my brother, Pat, would be here on earth. I felt as though I was watching a movie in slow motion or someone else’s pain as I watched each one of my brothers and sisters arrive. But […]

Not knowing Mum had died

It will be a year on April the 2nd which was good Friday that I found out my poor mother had died. She had been dead nearly 2 years but my father wanted to punish me for things past so did not tell me and got one of his sisters to telephone me and tell me. My father and mother have not spoken to me four at least 6 years, but I have found out since my mother wanted to ring me and my father would not let her. My twin brother kept this a secret from me also, so […]

The day you died.

It been six months (yesterday) since my brother died suddenly. A unknown man on the end of the phone, spoke to me. He told me you were dead. He bought me to my knees. His news shattered my life beyond repair. I sobbed as I tried to recall and reclaim your life back. The screams that I howled, felt like they were coming out of someone else’s body. The weight of my body collapsed on the floor, like some sacrificial emptying. I took the form of the lifeless balloon, after its air had escaped. How often I think of you […]

a hole in my heart

My husband Keith spent 10 months battling cancer. Together we fought it….chemo, radiation and more radiation. He was in so much pain we had to go to hospice. They gave him so much morphine – I feel like that is what killed him. He died 2 weeks after we went to hospice house. I have so much guilt and anger. Why did I let them take him to hospice house? I thought they would just adjust his medication and send him home. He never came home. We were just about to retire together and he worked so hard all of […]

I Miss My Kaila

My daugher passed away 7 mos ago. A poorly performed homicide investigation was done and closed. Kaila, a beautiful, energetic, strong, caring, dedicated 1st time mom,decided to go chill with a few friends. She kissed me wednesday on her way out. We spoke several times that day. At 18 she was very responsible and since going to school, working, taking care of her son and taking care of me as I live with stage 3 cancer, she decided to have some “Kaila time”. She had wanted to come pick up her son for the night and i explained that i […]

My brother

My brother was taken from me in 2010. I am finding it difficult coming to terms with never seeing him or hearing his voice again. I try to hide my grief and upset from those around me but when I am on my own I cry as i think about all the times we spent together and what he will miss out on in the years to come. People say that time heals but at the moment I dont believe that anything will make this easier for me. Nothing will ever be the same again for me – any happy […]

Dad took his own life

I grew up basically alone with my daddy. We didnt have much but man did i idolise him! He was my hero, my safety net and my protector. He was all I actually had as I was not close with my 2 sisters because of the huge age gap between us and my mother was not a factor in our lives. However throughout my growing years my dad suffered seriously from depression. One day he would be on top of the world and the next down in the dumps. but i still loved everything about him! when i turned 15 […]

mum killed by a brick wall

on the 1st Feb this year my mum was at home gardening on a week off from work, a solid brick wall from an out building just fell on her and crushed her to death, my dad came home from work and found her, she had been there around 4hours we think, there is an inquest. i dont think i am grieving, think i am atill in shock, just cant beleive it, i am 23 and mum was only 51, anyone out there who can talk? thanks

The Twins and Their Shadows

My fourth grade year concluded with long shadows cast over it. The class was all elbows and knees. Among my classmates were “the twins”, Bobby and Ricky – the source of fascination. 2 people who seemed to be versions of the other was mysterious to us all. Then, one morning in February, the principle arrived and prompted us to notice that the twins were not present. The twins, home alone, were playing with a family gun and one had accidentally shot and killed the other. He announced that children should never play with guns. And then he left. Our teacher […]

Frankfort, Kentucky Regional Conference

Please join us for our Compassionate Friends regional conference March 25 & 26 in Frankfort, Kentucky. “Words of Wisdom, Hearts of Love” This conference is for any one touched by the death of a child. Exec. Dir., of The Compassionate Friends, Pat Loder wil be joining us as well as past President of the Board, Pat Malone. Artist, Alan Pedersen and author Mitch Carmody. We have workshops for those have experienced a death of a child in the line of duty of a police officer, soldier or firefighter, survivors of suicide, For Women Only, Creative Arts, Impact of child loss […]

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.