Stories of Hope, Reflections on Resilience has expanded with a new chapter. This unique open educational resource (OER) is a collection of first-person essays on dealing with adversity, such as chronic health conditions.
Initiated by Dr. Laura Quirk, the first chapter of this OER details Dr. Quirk’s own experience living with multiple sclerosis. Published in 2023, Dr. Quirk always intended to expand the resource to include more voices and experiences. “I have long wanted to do more than just chare my story of hope,” she says. “My journey is only one such story of why and how we can move through life in ways that require us to dig deep and find hope – even when it seems impossible.”
She continues, “Therefore, I have invited others to contribute their experiences to this project as I want this to be about so much more than my own journey in finding hope.”
That’s exactly what happened this y ear. This newest chapter by Dr. Cynthia Comacchio explores depression and how she found hope in an unexpected place – discovering K-dramas. The Buddhist-style teachings at the end of each episode helped to rekindle the hope within her. Dr. Comacchio’s addition adds insight on mental health that is of great educational value for those in the healthcare field, especially community or human service professionals.
Life can present us with significant challenges, but humans are resilient. The strength of the human spirit is showcased in this OER.
This is an ongoing project and the call for contributors remains open. If you are interested in sharing your story of hope and resilience in either essay format, poetry, visual arts, audio recordings, video, or other media, all submissions are welcome. Educators are also invited to develop and contribute learning materials for the resource. Please get in touch with Dr. Laura Quirk at lquirk@conestogac.on.ca to discuss your ideas.
