Stories

It was just one of those nights. He had to get out of the house. Oh, he understood that his adult children were just worried about him and that is why they doted on his every move. “Come on Dad – you have to eat – have more food… Dad, now you have to get things done...

By: David Kennedy, Supportive Care Counsellor, Hospice Peterborough  Impermanence – everything changes. It is amazing how this simple truth gets so much resistance even when we know it is true. The difficulty comes at times in life when what is changing is...

By: David Kennedy, Supportive Care Counsellor, Hospice Peterborough It was a very intense moment. The air was literally heavy with grief. She had just finished telling me the story of the sudden unexpected death of the love of her life. As she had poured out their...

Composite story written by John Mowry based on his experiences working with families at end-of-life. My sister, brother and I sat in silence in the “family room”. The doctor had explained that Dad had suffered a life-threatening stroke and decisions needed to be made...

By: Meredith Hill, Hospice Peterborough Volunteer The Borland family lives across the road and we've only known them in a way that's slightly more than acquaintances. However, in the last four years we have watched as Margaret, the matriarch in her eighties, struggled...

By: Rachelle Kennedy, Hospice Peterborough Facilitator and Volunteer There was a biting cold and wild wind that was gusting off the shores of the great lake that day. The waves were wicked and relentless. It was as though all the pent-up coldness of the season had...

By: David Kennedy, Bereavement Coordinator at Hospice Peterborough He stood in the chaos of boxes and paper – the reminders of the holidays that brought a trail of family and people into his house. Everyone was trying to make this Christmas better than it could be....

By: David Kennedy, Bereavement Coordinator at Hospice Peterborough Life just didn’t seem to matter anymore; each morning was a struggle - one that John had to do, not for himself but for his family who still needed him. Since their mother had died his adult children...

By: David Kennedy, Bereavement Coordinator “I can’t believe it has been a whole year!” She sat in the same chair she did a year ago, but she is not the same person. “I must admit,” she added sheepishly “I really didn’t think I would last a year. I am pretty sure that...

By: A Hospice Client My entire life changed four years ago. Since that tragic day, I’ve had an extremely difficult time sorting through so many emotions – blame, anger, confusion, crippling sadness – and struggling to answer the question WHY? Why me? Why us? Why this?...