Why I walk to remember

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This will be our family’s 6th year participating in the walk. There are seven kids, and our last name is Reese, so naturally, our team is “Reese’s Pieces”!  We are walking in memory of our mom and dad, Beth and Mike Reese, as well as several other family members. I am also walking for a dear friend and former coworker.

My journey began on July 4, 2015, when our dad was admitted to David Simpson Hospice House to help control his symptoms after deciding to stop transfusions a few days prior. Eleven days later, we said goodbye to our dear husband, father, friend and hero.

We are forever grateful for the wonderful care we all received. From that moment, I knew I wanted to be a part of Hospice of the Western Reserve. About a year after his death, I became a volunteer. Soon after, I accepted a paid position, and I couldn’t be happier than to be where I am today.

We lost our mom, Beth Reese, just a few weeks after Walk to Remember 2018. The day of the walk, Mom wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t make it, but she proudly wore her shirt at home, and we gathered with her afterwards. Just two days later, we found ourselves back in the comforting environment of David Simpson Hospice House. On June 23, 2018, Mom took her last breath. The care we received once again was filled with love and unwavering compassion.

I am so blessed to be part of such a great agency. Yes, we are walking as a family in memory of our mom and dad and other family members and friends who have died, but it’s so much more than that. We’re coming together with hundreds of others who have lost loved ones themselves. We are walking with community!

Meg Reese-Shelling
Volunteer Service Manager
 

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More than 1,000 Hospice of the Western Reserve employees and 3,000 volunteers live and work side-by-side in the same neighborhoods with our patients and families. We are privileged to have cared for more than 100,000 Northern Ohioans since our inception.