Taking a few minutes to read this letter could have a life-changing impact on people and families you know, who live here in the Comox Valley. People like Rick, Ria, Ben and Elyot.

Rick, Ria and Elyot's experiences are just three examples of the many ways CVHS supports individuals and families throughout the Comox Valley. It's through the generosity of our community that we're able to offer this compassionate care, free of charge, to those who need it most.

With Rick's permission, we'd like to share his story. Rick came to our office unannounced, wanting to talk about his pending death. The door to one of our counsellors' offices happened to be open, and in he went, emerging an hour later with plans to come back the next week. Rick was without family and lived in a van between here and Campbell River. We had the privilege of seeing him weekly as his story unfolded in a safe and caring space.

As Rick reflected on the time he spent with us, he offered these reflections. " ... When we first met I had lost a valuable gift, empathy ... When I learned of my cancer and life expectancy, all I felt was - oh well - it don't mean nothing; I was already dead. Just talking brought back some of who I was and brought me back to the living. And the bonus, proving the Dr. wrong ... not 6 or 7 months - I LIVED for almost 12. There aren't the words to express my gratitude."

Ria's family offers these insights into their family's time with CVHS. "A close friend of our daughter Ria put us in contact with the Comox Valley Hospice Society. Ria's health was deteriorating from stage four brain cancer and she was on the final leg of her journey in this world. It was an extremely difficult, painful and emotional time for our family.

Hospice provided us with compassionate support. And, with counselling guidance, our family gathered the strength to bring the very best of ourselves to Ria when she needed us the most. We were able to honour and cherish the precious time we had left together.

Ria's strength, grace, courage and generous heart had a lot to teach us about the power of love. For this gift we are forever grateful to Hospice.

Ria would often sign her art cards and letters "Guided by Light and Love" and her spirit embodied these words. Comox Valley Hospice Society is an organization whose heart and spirit also embodies these words and are very much guided by light and love."

These words came to us from a mother whose son came to Aitken Community Hospice for his final months. "Ben was a determined, intelligent, loveable child always on the go - whether taking Superman jumps from the top of the refrigerator or painting the bathroom with Comet and a toothbrush. Painfully shy, public school destroyed his self-confidence - tears and anger erupted when he couldn't keep up with the other kids. Ben never learned to read until his late twenties. Ben became homeless as a result of multiple challenges, including ADHD and addictions."

The letter from Ben's mom goes on to describe years of painful experiences for the family with the last 5 yrs of Ben's life spent accessing shelters or sleeping rough. With an aggressive cancer diagnosis and death near, arrangements were made for him to come to the Aitken Community Hospice. She goes on to write ...

"He was so very grateful, so happy to have a warm beautiful place to be. He had a bathroom and could take showers. He was blown away when they asked what snacks he liked and they appeared the next day. He was terrified he would be kicked out because he was so messy but was told that his room was his own. I want you to know that I am so grateful that Ben was in hospice for his last few months. There are no words to tell you how much I appreciated everyone's kindness and care ... "

Elyot was a resident in Aitken Community Hospice, and spent the last few months of life receiving hospice care, as well as the support of our visiting team and counsellors. After a decade of emergency room visits and ineffective treatments, Elyot had hoped to die at home. With kidneys beginning to fail, Elyot shared that friends and family experienced relief when she was eventually moved to hospice. Although initially she felt she was taking a bed that might be needed by someone else, she was reassured that she was in the right place.

That was the beginning of a gradual and much-needed unwind as the various stresses of personal care, medication and meal planning were looked after. It provided time to "be", to enjoy the visits of family and friends, and provided the focus that allowed her to attend to getting her affairs in order. It was also a welcomed contrast from years in busy emergency wards, when care often comes when staff can provide it, and not always when it is needed. The peace and safety during her hospice stay added a quality of life, as did the regular visits from CVHS staff and volunteers making sure that her emotional needs were supported.

If you've read this far, thank you. We'd like to tell you about some of the ways that we are able to help families in the Comox Valley and how you can help people like Rick, Ria, Ben and Elyot as well as help families and friends to find help and support while going through tender times.

Our diverse services are offered free of charge and made possible by individual donors, some grants, bequests and many trained volunteers. People of all ages can self-refer and are often told about these resources through friends and family. We hope that this information will be shared widely, so that those

in need of our services know to ask for them, and those who are able to support us financially may be moved to do so.