MAR 22, 2016
If you're anything like me, you grew up in a fairytale surrounded by siblings who stood 10 feet tall. You grew up with parents who were as brave as superheroes. You grew up naïve to the world around you.
Don't get me wrong; I was well aware of what the news never failed to talk about. I knew mothers and fathers could lose their battles with cancer. I knew children could be kidnapped. I knew houses burned down, and car accidents happened almost every day.
But, I had created a world where my family was untouchable, where nothing could ever happen to them because they were mine.
Five years ago, a police officer knocked on our front door. It was 10 pm, and I had just gotten ready for bed.
“There's been an accident. You need to come to the hospital right away.”
By this point, I had seen enough TV shows to know this was not what you wanted to hear from a police officer, especially not at 10 pm, and especially not when your older brother still hadn't made it home.
I lost a brother that day. I lost a cheerleader, a mentor and a best friend. The safe space I had created so easily disappeared, and I was left to tackle the world without the one person who had always paved a path before me.
There's no word to describe the loss of a sibling. If you lose a spouse, you're a widow or widower. If you lose your parents, you're an orphan. But if you lose a sibling, you just become the girl who lost her brother.
My therapist described it as losing a limb. If someone tells you it gets better with time, the person's lying to you. Yes, cuts get better and wounds do heal, but when you lose an arm, it's foolish to await the day it "gets better." You simply learn to live with one arm.
I learned to do the things I know he would have liked. I learned to listen to the songs we sang together in the car without breaking down in tears. I learned — and am still learning — to function normally without him just a phone call away.
However, “normal” has lately been like a blanket too short for a bed. Sometimes it covers you just fine, and other times it leaves you shaking in the cold. I've come to find the worst part is I never know which one it's going to be when I wake up.
It's been almost five years since that day. Some days the ache is a little less than before, but other days it makes me want to lock myself in my room. And some days, I still feel like I am stuck in a void.
There is no statute of limitations on grief. There is no time limit to waking up crying, or having to leave the grocery store because you see your sibling's old friends. There is no special cure for those dull aches in your heart that don't seem to ever go away.
But, coming from a sister who thought she would never find the light again, know there will come a day when the thought of that loved one brings a smile to your face instead of leaving you gasping for a breath you cannot find.
There will come a day when you find yourself talking about your sibling and you do not feel uncomfortable. There will come a day when the universe sends you a sign to let you know your sibling is doing OK.
And there will come a day when the 19 years you were's able to have with your sibling becomes enough for the 19 more you'll never have. There is no other love like the love for a brother, and no other love like the love from a brother. And if you're lucky to have a brother who was also your best friend, that love is going to cover you during the best of times and hold your hand through the worst.
Encouraging Earlier Referral to Hospice Care
This is a list of disease specific hospice admission criteria
When a loved one enters hospice care, the focus often shifts to comfort, peace, and making themost of the time that remains. Yet, amid this tender season, there’s a beautiful opportunity tocelebrate a life well-lived and ensure that their essence endures for generations to come. Hospicecare isn’t just about easing physical burdens—it’s also about nurturing emotional and spiritualconnections, often by helping families preserve their loved one’s legacy through stories, memorybooks, and recorded messages.
When a friend is in hospice care, it can be an emotionally overwhelming time for both them andthe people who care about them. Knowing how to offer meaningful support might feel daunting,but small, intentional actions can make a big difference. Here are five practical ways you can bethere for your friend during this sensitive chapter.
Discussing hospice care with a loved one is one of the most challenging conversations you mayever face. It’s a topic loaded with emotion, uncertainty, and often fear—both for the personnearing the end of life and for those who care about them. Approaching this discussion withempathy, clarity, and patience can make a world of difference, helping your loved one feelsupported rather than overwhelmed. Here are some practical tips to guide you through thissensitive moment.
What Hospice Care Actually OffersSo, if it’s not about giving up or rushing things along, what does hospice care really mean? At itscore, it’s a philosophy of care that puts the patient and their loved ones first.
"Night to Remember" fundraiser raises $3,756 for Hospice of the Sacred Heart
Our friends from Colbert & Grebas, PC, certified elder law attorneys, provided lunch and an interesting talk to many of our Hospice of the Sacred Heart social workers, counselors and members of our leadership and management teams today. Attorney Brenda D. Colbert, CELA, spoke to the group about a wide variety of topics related to long term care planning, estate planning, estate administration and special needs planning.
Hospice of the Sacred Heart staff, volunteers and friends assembled at Mansour's Market Cafe Thanksgiving morning for our 19th annual event of packing and delivering Thanksgiving meals for our patients and their families. This project has become a tradition of thanks, joy and giving that everyone looks forward to.
The Fall Interfaith Memorial Service was held Sunday, November 17, 2024 at St. John the Evangelist Church in Pittston.
Hospice Director of Counseling Services participates in panel discussion
The 2022 Hospice of the Sacred Heart Chairman's Award was presented this morning to Lynn O'Mara, RN.
Hospice of the Sacred Heart CEO, Diane Baldi, Director of Inpatient Services, Michael Catalano and Director of Counseling Services, Jennifer Seechock, will appear on Eyewitness News Newsmakers Sunday, February 13th at 7:30 AM on WYOU-TV and Sunday, February 20th at 11:30 AM on WBRE-TV.
Hospice of the Sacred Heart blessed and lit the Christmas Tree at the administrative offices in Moosic Sunday, December 5th.
Hospice of the Sacred Heart lost a board member, a patriot and a dear friend Saturday, January 23rd. Patrick “Patsy” Solano was a member of the original board of directors assembled in 2003 and served faithfully until his passing, under the loving care of Hospice of the Sacred Heart.
Hospice of the Sacred Heart recently received a generous donation of ten UltraComfort America UC556 power lift recliners in Brisa Fresco fabric.
You can take part in #GivingTuesdayNow by supporting the Hospice of the Sacred Heart Memorial Fund on Tuesday, May 5th.
Hospice of the Sacred Heart CEO, Diane Baldi, was the guest on Entercom Radio's "Special Edition" this past weekend.
What Medicare.gov says about Hospice care
For people dealing with loss or sorrow, the holiday season can be a painful time. Here's how to deal.
Grief is both real and measurable. Scientists now know that losing a parent changes us forever.
On Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, November 28th, Hospice of the Sacred Heart will deliver meals to patients and their families. This is the 13th year the hospice will provide this service project. Over 500 meals will be prepared by Mansour’s Market Café in Scranton, packaged, and delivered by hospice staff members and volunteers.
Appropriate cards are tough to find, so here's advice from end-of-life experts
Kathy Brandt, a hospice industry leader who turned her own terminal cancer diagnosis into a public conversation about choices at the end of life, died Aug. 4. She was 54.
The Grey Muzzle Canine Hospice Project
A declining number of physicians specialized in palliative care looms and won’t recover for 25 years without major U.S. health policy changes, new research in the June issue of Health Affairs shows.
Hospice homes help families with the unimaginable
Contemplating another year of missing my daughter
We will all face painful moments sitting next to dying people. What can we say?
Governor's office launches program to help fund rural hospitals in Pennsylvania
Drug maker Eli Lilly and Co announced plans on Monday to sell a half-price version of its popular insulin injection Humalog, as it fends off criticism about rising drug prices in the United States
This article about preparing for death was written by Katy Butler, former reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Hospice of the Sacred Heart receives grant from Scranton Area Community Foundation
Representatives of Visiting Angels held an in-service for Hospice of the Sacred Heart social workers.
Not only did this year’s payment update rule include a 1.8% rate increase for 2019 Medicare hospice payments, centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) continued its work to reduce regulatory burdens on Medicare providers at the urging of advocacy groups like Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA).
The Pennsylvania Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) is a tool for translating patients’ goals for treatment into medical orders at the end of life. However, legislation is needed to empower healthcare providers such as EMTs to recognize and honor a patient’s POLST when life-sustaining care is needed. Without “codifying” POLST in this way, the patient risks having his or her final wishes disregarded by caregivers or physicians, or changed at the last minute by concerned family members.
Pennsylvania Homecare Association-Authored Legislation Permits Agencies to Dispose of Medications
Maine voters rejected higher state taxes that would have provided free long term home care and social services to those 65 and older, and to younger, disabled people.
Hospice of the Sacred Heart received a $2,500 grant for 2019 Camp Healing heARTs
AG, SENATOR BAKER AND HOSPICE ORGANIZATIONS APPLAUD ACT 69
2019 will mark the 13th annual Thanksgviing program at Hospice of the Sacred Heart