The 31st Annual Hospice “Tree of Life” ceremony, honoring Fitzgibbon hospice and other patients who have passed, will be held at 3 p.m., Wednesday, December 13, in the hospital atrium.

The annual tradition provides families and friends who have lost of a loved one an opportunity to honor their memory by hanging a Christmas ornament with their name on it during the ceremony.

In addition, staff from The Living Center will hang ornaments in honor of the long-term care facility residents who have died over the last 12 months.

“This annual event is a chance for our families to honor their loved ones during a season of caring and sharing. It is therapeutic for them to get together with other families who have experienced loss in the same time frame as they have,” said Angie Pogue, R.N., Nurse Care Manager from Fitzgibbon Community Services, which includes Fitzgibbon Home Health & Hospice.

“The families we provide care to often become like our own family. We see them, cry with them, and care for them just the same, during some of the darkest moments of their lives,” said Pogue. “The holidays are often very difficult, as we think about those we have lost. That’s why the Tree of Life ceremony has become such a community tradition. Because it helps us to cope with that loss.”

Ornaments are for sale in the Fitzgibbon Auxiliary Gift Shop or in the Fitzgibbon Community Services Office or by calling (660) 831-3293. Proceeds from the event help patients who are receiving care from Fitzgibbon hospice services.