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STORIES OF HOPE

Loneliness

Walking into the low-lit room I noticed, as always, the cushy couch, the beautiful bedframe, the family photos strewn on cabinets. Everything was familiar....

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on Jan. 15, 2019
Last comment by 192.168.1.254, on Apr 13, 2019 at 2:35 am | 42 comments | 18194 Views

STORIES OF HOPE

Selfishness, Poverty, and Lunch

I was late to lunch in a new city, chipped and chilled by biting winds. A man entered my gaze as I hurried forward; he was facing what looked like the city...

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on Nov. 26, 2018
Last comment by Removalist Newcastle, on Feb 24, 2019 at 2:46 am | 19 comments | 19830 Views

STORIES OF HOPE

Community Revisited, Part One: Would I Raise a Family in Palo Alto?

==I These past few weeks, I have thought quite a bit about community. I've been attending Bible studies and discussions at Stanford, specifically focused on community;...

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on Jan. 29, 2018
Last comment by meycing999, on Apr 29, 2018 at 4:23 am | 19 comments | 15555 Views

STORIES OF HOPE

Data and Compassion: Radical Tools in the Fight for Gun Control

Students in Washington D.C. during National Walkout Day, March 14, 2018. During last week’s National Walkout Day, a nationwide demonstration...

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on Mar. 19, 2018
Last comment by mohit2931, on May 23, 2018 at 1:34 am | 13 comments | 17282 Views

STORIES OF HOPE

Thought and Matter: A Young Man's Search for Interest and Meaning

==I This piece is the fourth in a multi-part series, telling stories about employees of Ada's Cafe -- a 501c3 nonprofit cafe in the Mitchell Park community center,...

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on Jul. 16, 2018
Last comment by trivani, on Sep 27, 2018 at 2:08 am | 11 comments | 11084 Views

STORIES OF HOPE

Reflections on Death, Suffering, and the Beauty in Hospice Care

I spend much of my time as so many do: obsessed. Obsessed over success, over recognition, over comfort. I feel no guilt over these fixations, as...

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on Dec. 4, 2017
Last comment by Reet, on Feb 25, 2018 at 11:44 pm | 11 comments | 25485 Views

STORIES OF HOPE

In the Uncertainty of Chronic Illness, A Young Woman Finds Reasons to Live

When Jennifer Thompson’s ribs began to crack, people started taking her seriously. By that time, Thompson – now twenty-two – was eighteen years...

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on Nov. 6, 2017
Last comment by Birdnscrap, on Feb 1, 2018 at 1:04 am | 9 comments | 17887 Views

STORIES OF HOPE

Eyes and the End of Life: Why Spend Time With the Dying?

You notice strange things, staring into the eyes of another human being for minutes at a time. First your heart beats faster, you grip your hands into empty...

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on Feb. 11, 2019
Last comment by Andrew, on May 10, 2019 at 5:23 am | 8 comments | 42836 Views

STORIES OF HOPE

What Am I Striving For?

==I Recently, my work life and professional aspirations have been getting the better of me. In turn, I’ve felt myself getting worse: tension, unease, and discontent...

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on Apr. 2, 2018
Last comment by pooja, on Jun 25, 2018 at 10:44 pm | 8 comments | 19147 Views

STORIES OF HOPE

Alcohol, Opioids, the Loss of a Son: One Couple's Journey Through Pain and Redemption

On a Monday afternoon in October of 2017, Rick and Bev Dyer received the call. Their son, Brian, was in the hospital with a “serious but not life-threatening”...

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on May. 1, 2018
Last comment by mjjones33, on Jun 22, 2018 at 10:26 pm | 8 comments | 21847 Views

STORIES OF HOPE

Twenty Years in the Sixties: How an Alcoholic Hippie Became a Self-Giving Servant

Left: Andy Burnham in 1978. Right: Burnham today. Looking out toward a sunny Autumn morning in Palo Alto, Andy Burnham described his moment...

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on Nov. 20, 2017
Last comment by maaia, on Jan 31, 2018 at 6:09 am | 8 comments | 18454 Views

STORIES OF HOPE

Of Illness and Identity: A Woman's Battle With Acute Myelogenous Leukemia

In times of comfort and consistency, we humans are prone to believing something of a half-truth. Our interests and ambitions are seen clearly, focused onto a yet-unmaterialized...

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on Dec. 18, 2017
Last comment by brock, on Feb 7, 2018 at 3:19 pm | 7 comments | 13601 Views

STORIES OF HOPE

The Case for Advanced Directives

Five minutes. That is all I had to make my case: to convince this 80-year-old man to fill out an advanced care directive. John, as I’ll call him, had served in...

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on Jan. 29, 2019
Last comment by chimpu, on Apr 23, 2019 at 11:11 pm | 7 comments | 10702 Views

STORIES OF HOPE

Guest Post: Youth, Illness, and Advance Care Directives

==I This piece is a guest-written essay by Leilani Graham, a Palo Alto native and graduate of Henry M. Gunn High School. Leilani is now a San Francisco-based writer,...

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on Sep. 25, 2018
Last comment by albert, on Dec 23, 2018 at 3:31 am | 5 comments | 18080 Views

STORIES OF HOPE

Modern Hospice Care and The Death of Ivan Ilyich

Readers: Apologies for my recent delay in posts! I've been awaiting approval for pieces on a couple individuals in the Ada's employee series. In the meantime,...

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on Jun. 19, 2018
Last comment by KJH, on Jun 21, 2018 at 7:13 pm | 4 comments | 15117 Views

STORIES OF HOPE

The Cost of Service

In a gently-lit room, there he laid: a man, seeking comfort in hospice after a long battle with terminal cancer. Oxygen tubes and intravenous ports were his markings...

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on Jan. 16, 2018
Last comment by sdafjdskajf, on Mar 31, 2018 at 6:16 am | 4 comments | 11143 Views

STORIES OF HOPE

Family Matters: Caring for the Dying, and Their Loved Ones

As I walked into the patient room of a local hospice facility early this year, I knew what to expect: An eighty-year-old woman, with gently-curled hair and a strained...

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on Feb. 20, 2018
Last comment by joepumper, on May 16, 2018 at 7:14 pm | 4 comments | 13326 Views

STORIES OF HOPE

Motherlode of Possibilities: A Posture Village in Silicon Valley

Growing up in India, Esther Gokhale had a natural love for the human body; whether practicing yoga, dancing, or watching Eastern medical masters around her, she...

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on Mar. 5, 2018
Last comment by Mini Arya, on Apr 23, 2018 at 11:14 pm | 4 comments | 23888 Views

STORIES OF HOPE

Are We Really Up To This?

“Are you really up to this?” That was Liliko Ngata, 41, on a recent Saturday afternoon in East Palo Alto. Liliko and I were at Project WeHOPE (a local homeless...

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on Oct. 16, 2017
Last comment by PAer, on Nov 10, 2017 at 11:16 am | 4 comments | 15833 Views

STORIES OF HOPE

Trials of My Grandmother

There was no single change which confirmed, to my mind, that my grandmother had suffered a stroke. She had, of course, but I had been trying to see things...

Original post made by Aldis Petriceks on Nov. 12, 2018
Last comment by Aaron, on Feb 9, 2019 at 3:56 pm | 3 comments | 13831 Views
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