MartyT Posted June 3, 2009 Report Share Posted June 3, 2009 If you've ever felt inclined to share your story ~ or to let Hospice of the Valley (HOV) know what you think of our Grief Healing Discussion Groups Web site ~ here is your opportunity to do so:From Hospice of the Valley's June 2009 ENews:Share Your StoryHospice of the Valley is about stories - stories of love, loss and healing. We would like to hear the story of you and your loved one's journey. A new interactive feature on our web site allows people in the community to tell us about their hospice experiences. Visit here to tell us yours: http://www.hov.org/submit_your_story.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boo Mayhew Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 Hi Marty, I tried to use the interactive feature but it said my message was too long. I am shocked ... LOL! Me? Talk too much? So, have pasted below the letter that I sent to Hospice of the Valley. I hope that it eventually gets delivered safely.--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th May 2009 Susan Goldwater LevineExecutive DirectorHospice of the Valley1510 East Flower StreetPhoenixArizona 85014USA Dear Ms Levine Re: Grief Healing Discussion Groups I felt compelled to write to you to thank you for the wonderful Discussion Board/Forum that the Hospice of the Valley provides on-line. It is hard to put into words just how much the Forum has helped me to heal in my journey through widowhood, but I will attempt to. When I lost my husband (unexpectedly to a stroke) in January this year I was completely bewildered. I searched the internet and looked at many discussion boards and bereavement sites from which I gleaned some useful information to read. However, most of these sites only provided me with part of the information that was helpful to me and appeared disjointed. Additionally, many of the Boards that I visited (as an anonymous guest) did not “feel” right to me and I would not have felt comfortable to join in and bare my heart, soul and feelings there. My main reason being that some of the advice that I read there was a little “left field”. Your Board/Forum is a warm, safe environment frequented by wonderful people. I have received good sound advice there from reading others’ posts and have also found companionship and a meeting of minds. Marty is an exceptional counsellor-cum-moderator and allows us freedom, only ever interrupting a thread to add insightful and straightforward advice (from sharing hyperlinks to excellent articles to suggestions of books to read). Ms Tousley is one of the (too few) “givers” in this world and a special woman. Despite having suffered more loss in her own life than any human being should have to endure, she has found the strength to turn her grief around and help people, which I find amazing. I find her attitude inspiring and would go as far to say that she is now one of my role models in life. The logistics of the site itself make it user-friendly and approachable, which is another key point. It is clear from the outset that a lot of thought and planning has gone into the creation of it, from the ability to message one another, to having your own profile, as well as the option to check new posts since last signing in, amongst other tools. Personally, I find it incredible and a sign of hope that when I joined the Board I was incapable of thinking in terms of longer than 5 minutes at a time. I was reaching out for help, literally. Your Board enabled me to receive that much needed help when I was questioning my own sanity. The miracle is that today, I now go on the Board to see if newcomers have joined, so that I can welcome them because I know how they feel. If anyone told me 4 months ago that I would be capable of that I would not have believed them. I suspect that most of my healing has emanated from your Forum and the feeling that it gives me when I help someone else is marvellous. In a nutshell, having the Forum/Board linked in to all the wonderful information that Marty has uploaded from booklists to DVDs to poems and eulogies in one place is a gift to a bereaved person. I cannot thank you, your Hospice or Marty enough for everything that you have done for me, but as a small measure I will be nominating you for an internet award as soon as I have researched the most appropriate one to enter. Yours sincerely Mrs Margo Mayhew(Boo Mayhew) c.c. Marty Tousley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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