When Susie Stierer, an outpatient surgery nurse at Bethesda North Hospital, volunteered to work at Hospice of Cincinnati, she worked with people whose lives were mere shadows of what they once were.

        She made a record in 1993, “Shadows of Love.”

        The nurse, composer, musician and sound designer was inspired to put life experiences and the realities she saw at Hospice of Cincinnati into music.

        She used the title of her first record for her first release, Shadows of Love, a 12-song, instrumental jazz CD.

        Most of the proceeds from the CD will go to Hospice of Cincinnati, Mrs. Stierer said.

        “I saw people who perhaps had lived great lives, but were now only shadows of that life and the love they once knew,” she said. “My purpose is to share the music and help Hospice of Cincinnati.”

        Mrs. Stierer wrote, performed, recorded and arranged all the music on the CD with keyboards and synthesizers.

        She said she maintained her interest in music while studying to be a nurse. While moonlighting at a music store in South Bend, Ind., she met and married her husband, Randy, also a musician.

        She built a home recording studio which helped her to find a passionate way to express herself in her songs — “to get lost in a song and take a listener along for the journey,” she said.

        She became acquainted with Hospice of Cincinnati when she watched her parents battle cancer. She decided then to become a volunteer.

        “All of the songs were inspired by circumstances or people in my life,” she said.

        One song, “Mystical Passage,” relates to her first Hospice patient. “I visited her in her home and watched her go on this mystical passage from life to death,” she said.

        The CD was released last November and 1,300 copies were sold by the end of December. She has donated $7,500 to Hospice of Cincinnati.

        “Our goal is to raise $25,000,'' she said. “The time I have spent with Hospice patients has given me personal rewards,” she said.

        Copies of the CD are available at Borders Books in Eastgate, Northgate and Princeton Plaza; Barnes & Noble Book Store in Kenwood, Joseph Beth Book Store in Rookwood Pavilion in Norwood, and at hospital gift shops in Bethesda North, Good Samaritan, and the Tri-
       Health Fitness and Health Pavilion.

        Hospice of Cincinnati is a nonprofit organization that provides holistic care for terminally ill patients and their families. It serves about 300 patients a day and their families throughout Greater Cincinnati.

        Stephen West, president and CEO of Hospice of Cincinnati, said they are thrilled to partner with Mrs. Stierer, who understands the qualities of the organization.

       Allen Howard's “Some Good News” column runs Monday-Friday and Sundays. If you have suggestions about outstanding achievements or acts of kindness, let him know at (513) 768-8362; at ahoward@enquirer.com; or by fax at (513) 768-8340.
       

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