Paula Foster and Jess Akers transformed their grief from losing a loved one into positive contributions to their communities with help from Hospice Care of North Central Ohio.
After experiencing the death of her husband David, Paula Foster took charge of her grief.
“I was young when my husband passed away,” Foster said “I knew the quality of the rest of my life was at stake, so I wanted to be proactive about the grieving process.”
Paula joined a support group through Hospice of North Central Ohio and completed its 13-week program last fall. Paula described her participation as, “the saddest, most uplifting experience I’ve ever had.”
“I knew the reason for my loss was to teach me so I could go back and help other people who are experiencing grief. Death isn’t easy, but no one comes out of life alive and loss is a part of that life,” she said.
Paula has helped others process their grief through her work at Camp Hope, a four-day summer day camp for children and youth ages 6-17. The camp is designed to help children with experiencing the loss of a loved one. It was there Paula started thinking about her son Patrick. Patrick was diagnosed with autism at age 24.
Paula noticed Patrick’s behaviors changing after the loss of her husband and realized Patrick didn’t have a way to express his grief. Paula knew her son needed help to express his grief because he experiences his emotions differently than she does.
While at Camp Hope, Paula met an intern who was working for Hospice of North Central Ohio and they began discussing a bereavement group for the developmentally disabled. The project is still in the early stages, but Paula recognizes a need and the importance for the Knox County community to have a bereavement service for those who experience life from a different perspective.
Paula’s experience with Hospice of North Central Ohio was a Godsend. “Hospice of North Central Ohio and the volunteers there have the most joyful and compassionate energy, and it comes from their ability to be real, so people can experience their grief with no expectations,” she said.
Jess Akers wanted to leave a legacy for her son lost during pregnancy, Graham.
Jess Akers was 24 weeks pregnant when she went in for a routine checkup with her physician. They discovered her baby was without a heartbeat. Her son Graham was stillborn. During her hospital stay Jess received a lovely basket, a gift from the nonprofit organization Forget Me Not Baskets Inc., where she found information on the bereavement services Hospice of Central Ohio offered.
Jess took advantage of Hospice of North Central Ohio’s bereavement support groups and therapy sessions to combat her grief. While utilizing these services, Jess met Kailey Bradley, a bereavement coordinator at Hospice of North Central Ohio. Sharing her desire to create a legacy for baby Graham, Jess told Kailey about her idea to start an annual awareness walk.
Hospice of North Central Ohio has been helping Jess organize the awareness walk for the last two years. They have helped correspond with local businesses and with the promotional aspects of the event.
Jess recognized the need for a safe space and a time for families to celebrate their lost loved ones. “This is a great event and we want to break the stigma of staying silent, it’s okay to talk about them; they’re children too,” Akers said.
Forget Me Not Baskets Inc. is an organization Akers says is “very near and dear to my heart”. She supports their mission—ensuring families who experience a loss don’t have to go home empty handed.
The 2nd Annual Infant and Pregnancy Loss Awareness Walk will take place October 7 at Charles Mill Lake from 2 to 4 p.m. Anyone interested in participating may register at www.myhnco.org or at the walk. All proceeds will go to Forget Me Not Baskets, Inc.
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Hospice of North Central Ohio is a non-profit, community-oriented organization serving Ashland, Crawford, Huron, Knox, Morrow, and Richland counties. HNCO differs from other hospice organizations in that its bereavement services benefit anyone in the community, at any time. Thanks to the generous support of area individuals and agencies, bereavement programs are offered at no cost to not only the families of hospice patients, but to anyone in the community. Learn more about bereavement care.
