Do You Have Hope?

Desmond Tutu once said, “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”

Have you ever thought about what is hope? How do you get it? Where does it come from? Whats the meaning of it? It is a strange uplifting emotion that can do miracles if one can find it.

The word itself can be used both as a noun and as a verb. For the purpose of this writing, I am talking about Hope as a noun. I’m not sure why I started thinking about this word today but I did and like we all do, I decided to “google” it. To be honest, I was disappointed. I went probably 10 pages deep looking for a definition that I felt would be all encompassing for a cancer patient, or anyone who was feeling lost.

I finally came to the thought that my idea of Hope is a desire or an expectation of something far greater than the average human thought. It is so great that it could even be considered miraculous. It could be a new goal that all of a sudden could be hoped (verb) for because someone or something gave new light. It could be a new plan or a new protocol that all of a sudden looked like it possibly may work.

I feel like the emotional word “Hope” has to first start as a lit candle. When we are down and in the dark, someone cares enough to light the candle so we can see. Maybe it doesn’t take a lot to give someone hope. Maybe it takes someone feeling as if they will not be left in the dark to die or that maybe they feel that they have been found worthy enough for someone to care about what happens to them. Human beings need to feel as though there is someone they can look to or rely on in order to get that first glimmer of hope. We need trust and the feeling that we are love.

As a health care provider, I have always tried to put myself in our patients shoes. It is no fun to be afraid, scared and feel there is no hope. I try to make sure that myself, the doctors and employees of New Hope Unlimited are always thinking about how our patients feel emotionally. It is hard to get on the healing journey if one feels there is no hope.

What does hope mean to you?

–Dr Fredda Branyon