Hospice SLO County Saved My Life

Twenty five years ago, I got a phone call that changed my life. It was a call telling me that my husband had died while he was away on a golfing trip. I was only fifty-two at the time and never thought that something like this would happen. At first I was surrounded by family and friends so I was distracted from the numbness and grief that I felt. After the funeral, my support group began to fade as each of them returned to their jobs and families.

I too returned to work which was a good way to fill my time and distract me from my grief. However, after some weeks, I decided that I really needed some support so I could work through all of my feelings. After doing a little research, I found that Hospice of San Luis Obispo offered lots of support for people like me. At first I went to some facilitated bereavement group sessions which I then followed with a few individual bereavement counseling sessions with a wonderful counselor, Doug Bing.

Now that all of this time has passed, I have to honestly say that Hospice of SLO saved my life. I am now happily remarried and retired. I will be eternally grateful to this wonderful organization. When the GEM donor program was initiated, I decided that this would be a great way to give back to Hospice. After all, Hospice was there when I needed support and now I can be there when they need financial support.

I am sure that some of you have the same feelings of gratitude for Hospice of SLO. Recurring donations can make such a difference. If you are already a GEM, thank you! If not, please join me and become a GEM.

Susan Dressler