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Inheritance of Hope has been blessed by many incredibly passionate and dedicated volunteers.  In fact, Inheritance of Hope’s mission of inspiring hope in young families facing the loss of a parent cannot be realized without them!  Our “Volunteer Spotlight” series is a way to celebrate these most selfless members of our Inheritance of Hope family.

A Legacy’s Life-Changing Impact

I still remember that day. It was just a typical September afternoon with no cares in the world. Then came the news…

My dad came home from a regular eye check-up that turned out to be anything but normal. His optometrist found tumors wrapped around both of my dad’s eyes

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Volunteer Lara with Legacy Retreat family member.

Inheritance of Hope has been blessed by many incredibly passionate and dedicated volunteers.  In fact, Inheritance of Hope’s mission of inspiring hope in young families facing the loss of a parent cannot be realized without them!  Our “Volunteer Spotlight” series is a way to celebrate these most selfless members of our Inheritance of Hope family.

How did you learn of Inheritance of Hope (IoH)?

I was introduced to Inheritance of Hope through my boyfriend, Allen Milligan. His aunt and uncle, Kristen and Deric Milligan, are the co-founders of IoH.

What inspired you to join the IoH family?

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Kristen Milligan passed away  one year ago tomorrow. She was a truly amazing person and my very best friend. One of her favorite verses is found in James 1:2-4 and she referenced it often in her speaking engagements, books, and daily life. This is what it says in the modern day Message translation of the bible:

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."

Have you ever had told your kids you are going to be doing something really fun a few weeks or maybe months too soon?

If so you have been plagued with the constant questions:

"Is it time yet?"

"How many more days?"

"Are we there yet?"

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One day someone asked me if I was interested in sponsoring a candle for the upcoming Relay for Life event in honor or memory of someone with cancer. Afraid to answer, I simply agreed and took the paperwork home. I asked myself, “Do I know anyone with cancer?” Nobody in my family had cancer, none of my friends had cancer, none of my friends’ family members had cancer. I didn’t know anyone with cancer. But they made it seem like I should?

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 - Blog Post written by Bobby Conti, Legacy Retreat attendee and now volunteer.

Far-off, unknowable, unrelatable. Are these words you use to describe God?



It is not uncommon for people to feel that God doesn’t know what they are going through, especially in times of suffering, or when an illness strikes. The most common questions in such a case are “Why did this Happen?” “What am I going to do?” and “Does God even know how hard this is?”

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- Blog post written by Daniel Carillo



In the first chapter of his Gospel, John gives an account of how Jesus selects the apostles.  Interesting approach – John doesn’t give an account of each apostle’s first encounter with Jesus.  Instead, he focuses on four – Andrew (Peter), Simon, Philip, and Nathanael.

Ah, Nathanael.

Nathanael first hears about Jesus from Philip, who tells him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”  Nathanael’s response is shocking – “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Doubt. Nathanael was saying, “I doubt it!”  He was questioning.  He could not believe.  This was impossible.

Doubt.  What is it, and how is it able to, so easily, grab hold of us?  Twist our thoughts?  Fill us with dread and anxiety?

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Written by Andrean Maier (She is attending the May 2013 Legacy Retreat with her family.) I am the middlest child. I am 10. And I have another perspective. You know that over the last few months my mom has been struggling with stage 4 ovarian cancer. It was strange because I would have never thought anyone in my family could have cancer. I remember the day when my dad told us. It was the worst day of my life. I thought he was kidding. When he told us he was serious, then I thought she was going to die and I was scared. I am still worried, but I know that God has a plan for her and for me. Everyone has been helping us so much and we are thankful. My friends write nice notes that encourage me. My teachers at school tell me they are praying for me. My brother and sisters are getting closer because we are all helping mom and dad together. It is also helping us to not fight (at least not as much). My faith has grown in this. I believe God will protect our family. I take church more seriously now. I always listened to the sermons, but now I understand them more. I wish my mom could come out and jump on the trampoline with us. But dad says she has her own ups and downs even without the trampoline. On her Legacy Retreat, Andrean is going to meet many other kids who know how she feels and what she is going through.  She is going to make life long friendships and grow even closer to her own siblings and parents. She is also going to have a blast riding rides, seeing characters, playing games, swimming, and making memories!

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My dad was diagnosed with very rare stage 4 lymphoma in his eyes when I was 15. It was a pretty tough time for my family.  Doctors didn’t think he was going to make it, but thank God he did.

My family had gone through a lot of tough things in the past, but I always knew everything would be okay. But this... This was the first time in my life where I just didn’t know.

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Several years ago in 2005, my wife Heather was diagnosed with cancer. She had malignant pleural mesothelioma, a very rare and deadly form. It was devastating to our family, particularly because we had just celebrated new life. Just three months prior to her diagnosis, she had given birth to Lily, a beautiful baby girl. We thought that we would be spending the rest of that year celebrating the holidays with our new bundle of joy, but we were in for something much different.