It is with broken hearts that we remember our beloved moderator and dear friend, Always4hope, who passed away on September 16, 2026, following a hard-fought battle with cancer.
Always4hope found the Alliance of Hope Forum shortly after losing her beloved son in February 2017. Like so many of us, she arrived carrying a grief that few outside this community could truly understand. In time, AOH became part of her life, and in 2021 she joined our moderating team.
For the years that followed, she gave so much of herself to this community. She welcomed those new to grief, offered encouragement when people were struggling, shared her hard-earned wisdom and experience, and, perhaps most importantly, listened. She knew what it was to hurt, and she never forgot what it felt like to be at the beginning of this journey.
She was unmistakably Always4hope – feisty, funny, fearless, authentic, and full of heart. She loved her family passionately and held firmly to her belief that she would one day be reunited with her son. She also found great comfort in looking at the sky, and many members have since shared that they will think of her when they look upward.
The outpouring of love following her passing has been a beautiful testament to the difference she made.
One member remembered her as “a light in the dark” when hope seemed impossible. Another wrote that Always4hope knew how to sit with people in the darkness of grief, offering “real, hard-earned comfort”. Others spoke of her wisdom, humour, honesty and the way she made people feel truly seen.
One longtime friend shared memories of conversations about their children, their grief, their families and the things that brought them joy, along with Always4hope’s wonderfully characteristic “dang it,” a phrase that could somehow bring a smile even through tears.
Perhaps most moving of all were the words from members who barely knew her personally, but whose lives she had touched through a post, a private message, or a few words of encouragement during a painful moment. As one member wrote, “She shared her experiences in a way that made others feel seen. That’s a rare gift.”
And that is the legacy Always4hope leaves behind.
She took the pain she carried and used her experience to reach back toward others. She offered hope while carrying her own grief. She helped countless people feel less alone.
To us, she was so much more than a moderator. She was a colleague, a friend, a fellow survivor, and a much-loved part of the AOH family.
Rest peacefully, dear Always4hope.
May the skies that brought you so much comfort welcome you, and may the long-awaited reunion with your beloved son be everything you hoped it would be.
You gave so much hope to others.
You will be deeply missed and never forgotten.
