Reflections of Hope:
Remembering Our First 40 Years
Starr's official logo has evolved over time, and early versions are a far cry from today’s dove motif. Some digging revealed the story behind one with a hot-air balloon illustration that worked its way into our design in 1983. One of our patients at the time, a “bright, feisty widow,” according to our archives, had helped her husband manage two successful businesses. As a world traveler who believed in the benefits of risk taking, she had run river rapids at age 76 and had few unfulfilled wishes, except the desire to take a hot-air balloon ride before she died. Here’s the story, as told by Joan Alford, RN, Starr's former patient care coordinator:
We had received a donation of a hot-air balloon ride from the City of Livermore’s Centennial Celebration. Our “Balloon Lady” was ecstatic and asked me to go along with her. Her cancer, however, was spreading rapidly, and I was afraid her dream would not come true. Early on the appointed day, I went to her apartment to find her sitting on her bed, dressed in pearls and ready to fly. As we drifted gently over the Altamont, her face shone with joy. She died peacefully and fulfilled just two days later. As for me, it was the Balloon Lady’s face on that beautiful spring morning that changed my hospice nursing experience from an interesting detour in my career to a lifetime commitment.
Will you make a donation today to help us continue to offer exceptional care to our local communities? Starr is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and we rely on the generosity of our supporters to offer public programs including grief support and family caregiver education.
