Every Life Has Meaning

Emmanuel Hospice recently launched a program designed to capture patient stories, memories, and words of wisdom to share with loved ones. Volunteer Karin Orr uses the resources at BeRemembered.com to capture patient stories with a digital biography. Orr asks patients guiding questions from the website to spur memories and fill in details, which she use to guide conversation about a patient’s life story.

Drawn to this program through the experiences of her own unique life story, Orr began her career as a college professor, worked as a columnist for the Grand Rapids Press, hosted her own cooking show on WVGU, and eventually became a minister in the United Methodist Church. Orr is thankful that this program allows her to combines her passions for spreading hope, telling stories, and giving back to the community.

While the final product can be very meaningful to a patient and their family, capturing stories takes patience. “Every person begins with, ‘I don’t have anything to say,’” says Orr, “But as I dig deeper and build the relationship, I hear the most incredible stories.” She likes using questions from the BeRemembered.com website as a way to highlight the small details of a person’s life that, she says, end up meaning the world to families once their loved one has passed away.

Sara Lowe, Executive Director of Emmanuel Hospice, sees the BeRemembered program as a wonderful reflection of Emmanuel Hospice’s commitment to celebrating life. “This program not only reflects the compassionate care of our hospice ministry,” says Sara, “it offers a chance for patients to collect meaningful stories and memories for their loved ones to treasure. We want to celebrate the unique experiences in each of our patients’ lives, and create space for joy and peace as they reflect on their stories.”  

“If I could sum up this program in one sentence,” says Karin, “It would be this: Every life has meaning. That’s why we’re doing this work at Emmanuel, because we want to honor the stories that give meaning to all of our lives.”

Emmanuel Hospice is recruiting volunteers to participate in the BeRemembered program and help patients share their stories. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer with Emmanuel Hospice, contact Heidi Pelton, Volunteer Services Coordinator, at 616-250-5154 or [email protected].

Emmanuel Hospice would like to thank West Michigan partners Fields-McKinley Funeral and Cremation Services and Clock Life Story Funeral Home for providing free access to BeRemembered.com’s online services.

Pictures available upon request.